Allen Hamilton
Roberto Mancini has often spoken about the gap that separates his Manchester City team from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. Prior to the season, the Italian assessed the gap to be two yards, then after nine games of the campaign it had been cut to just a single yard in Mancini’s eyes. But after handing United a 6-1 thumping at Old Trafford on Sunday – their heaviest home defeat since 1955 – City can legitimately claim to be top dogs. It is now Ferguson’s men who have yards to make up in pursuit of City.
As afternoons go, Mancini can have enjoyed few better and, as post-game bottles of wine go, he can have enjoyed few sweeter. Ferguson, however, has plenty to address and little time to do so before a tough trip to Goodison Park at the weekend. While Johnny Evans’ dismissal contributed heavily to the humiliationg scoreline, familiar problems reared their ugly heads during the defeat.
Chief among them is the lack of creativity in midfield, where weaknesses from last season remain glaringly obvious, particularly with the phenomenal David Silva pulling the strings in City’s midfield. Silva, who produced the pass of the decade to Edin Dzeko for the sixth and final goal, was once on United’s radar and Ferguson must rue not pulling the trigger on a deal for the Spaniard.
Anderson and Darren Fletcher have both been solid performers for United but as a partnership it just does not work – the recent victory over Norwich was a perfect example. Both harry and chase but neither is suited to taking control of a game. On Sunday, once City settled, Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure and Silva took charge, exploiting Ferguson’s decision to take on the visitors’ three-man midfield with just two central midfielders. Meanwhile, the energy and vision of Tom Cleverley has been missed during his injury layoff but, while his return will be a boost, United cannot rely on a 22-year-old for all their midfield guile.
Ferguson must also decide on his first choice strike pairing for the biggest games on the fixture list. Selecting Danny Welbeck over Javier Hernandez was a surprising choice given that the Mexican’s pace and movement causes nightmares for defenders and his partnership with Wayne Rooney is firmly established. It is all the more perplexing when taking into account that Hernandez has played a total of 39 minutes across the last two league games – at Liverpool and home to City – and United failed to score in either game until he came off the bench. That is simply not enough playing time for one of the Premier League’s deadliest finishers.
A manager with as much experience as Ferguson has earned the right not to be openly questioned but he completed a hat-trick of head-scratching decisions by giving Evans the nod at centre-back ahead of Phil Jones, a more mobile and composed option. United fans feared the worst when Evans’ name appeared on the teamsheet, flooding cyberspace with predictions of impending doom – and with good reason. The Northern Ireland international put his team on the back foot by giving away possession, setting up a City counter attack, and then allowing Mario Balotelli time to slot home the opener.
Evans’ red card was another reminder that he remains at sea at the very highest level. For a physical tussle at Stoke or Bolton, a case could be made for him as the most suitable replacement for Nemanja Vidic, but against a team as technically gifted as City, it was a huge gamble. With Rio Ferdinand also looking off the pace, Jones’ confidence would have been a real asset.
But take nothing away from City, who were committed, organised and ruthless. The trio of Silva, James Milner and Micah Richards led the race for Man of the Match honours but several others were not far behind. In contrast to some of Ferguson’s blunders, Mancini was spot on with every tactical move – from putting faith in Balotelli’s temperament to leaving Samir Nasri on the bench in favour of the more industrious Milner. United were not only outplayed but also outcoached.
Suddenly, Ferguson finds himself battling to avoid comparisons to Chelsea’s deceptive start last season, when the Blues flew out of the blocks before slumping alarmingly. United blew away their opponents over the opening weeks but have unquestionably stuttered over the past month, leaving their manager with plenty on his mind. Ferguson will be crossing his fingers that Vidic soon returns to the fray and may need to use the January transfer window to add the midfield playmaker that he is so clearly lacking.
As for City, this was the weekend that Mancini’s men took the step from title contenders to title favourites, opening up a five-point lead. They are no longer “noisy neighbours” – City are taking over the whole street, leaving Ferguson and United with the yards to make up.
