Match Focus: Four Key Battles in Sunday's Manchester Derby
Sunday’s Manchester Derby could go a long way to determining who secures Premier League glory this season. City are the current pacesetters having taken 21 points from a possible 27 so far, but United are hot on their heels with 19 points from nine games. With Arsenal welcoming Everton in Saturday’s late kick off, neither side will be keen to drop points at this stage of the season, especially with the Gunners coming into their meeting with the Toffees in fine form.
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With that in mind, we have looked at four key battles that could determine the outcome when City make the short trip to Old Trafford this weekend.
Chris Smalling vs Wilfried Bony
Since establishing himself as a first team regular at the heart of the Manchester United defence, Chris Smalling has improved greatly since the turn of the year. With Louis van Gaal at the helm, the England international has emerged as one of the most consistent centre-backs in the Premier League. His WhoScored rating this season (7.40) is his highest in England’s top tier, with Smalling playing a key role in United conceding just eight league goals this term - only North London duo Arsenal and Tottenham (both 7) have shipped fewer.
Only Jan Vertonghen (295) has played more accurate passes in his own half in the Premier League this campaign than Smalling (288), with the 25-year-old helping instigate attacks from the back with ease, in the process contributing to United's average of 57% possession this season, the second best in the top flight of English football at the time of writing.
He’s expected to have his hands full when City travel to Old Trafford, with Wilfried Bony the man tasked with spearheading the Citizens’ offensive in Sergio Agüero’s absence. While the latter is widely considered one of the finest attackers in the game, the former is a handful on his day, with his brace and assist against Bournemouth last week helping the striker gain a perfect 10 in the 5-1 thrashing of the Cherries. Bony’s physical presence is enough to put any centre-back off his stride, with his hold up play and ability to bring others into the game one of the Ivorian’s strongest assets.
Smalling is no slouch when it comes to performing his defensive duties having averaged 2.4 tackles and won 2.9 aerial duels per league game so far, though he needs to be on top of his game against Bony. This looks set to be a fiercly contested physical battle between the two on Sunday and one that could determine which team comes out on top.
Juan Mata vs Kevin De Bruyne
Away from the battle between Smalling and Bony, the coming together of creative pairing Juan Mata and Kevin De Bruyne is likely to help decide where the spoils head. Mata has upped his game with Van Gaal in charge, being tasked with drifting inside from the right wing to utilise his vision in the final third and provide for his teammates. The pint-sized Spaniard is averaging more key passes per game (1.9) than any United player, while 163 successful final third passes ranks among the top 10 players in the Premier League this campaign. His knack for finding pockets of space between the opposition's midfield and defence allows him to showcase his creative and goalscoring talents, with Mata directly involved in six - three goals and three assists - of United’s 15 league goals so far this season.
City must be wary of the attacking threat Mata carries, though conversely United need to stifle De Bruyne’s influence if they are to come away with all three points. The Belgian has made a stunning start to life under Manuel Pellegrini, directly contributing to 8 goals in his last 6 matches for City. With David Silva expected to miss out and Agüero sidelined, the Citizens will look to their big-money summer arrival as a means to breaking down United’s resolute defence. His WhoScored rating (7.90) ranks second of all City players and he’s expected to maximise his inventive ability in order to find a route to goal on Sunday.
This promises to be one of the more enthralling encounters on the pitch as both players strive to aid their respective teams at Old Trafford. Their creative qualities will indeed be put to test as United and City look to establish dominance in the final third early on.
David De Gea vs Joe Hart
Since returning to the first team, David De Gea has mustered just two clean sheets from his five Premier League outings. Nevertheless, that should not take away from the fact the Spaniard can rightly be considered a world class shotstopper. De Gea’s failed moved to Real Madrid over the summer indeed came as a boost to United as they look to re-establish themselves as England’s dominant force and the hosts will need the 24-year-old to be at his best against City. A modest save success rate of 70.8% can indeed be improved on and Sunday’s Manchester Derby marks the ideal time to do so.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Joe Hart will look to outdo De Gea’s exploits between the sticks. The City number one comes into the fixture in stronger form having attained a better save success rate (75%) than De Gea, while no goalkeeper has kept more Premier League clean sheets this season than Hart (5). Granted, those in front of him have played a crucial role in the Englishman’s clean sheet return, but Hart’s organisation of his backline could be key against United. However, the City star has shipped nine goals in his last six league meetings with United, so his performances are somewhat shaky in the derby.
De Gea and Hart are two fine shotstoppers, of that there is no doubt, and the pairing will need to be on top form in order to deny their opponents on Sunday.
Anthony Martial vs Vincent Kompany
It was something of a shock to the system for Anthony Martial having failed to net in back-to-back league games, though to his credit he was back among the goals in midweek, netting United’s equaliser in their 1-1 draw with CSKA Moscow in Russia. The Frenchman has quickly lived up to his hefty transfer fee, with his WhoScored rating (7.77) the best for Van Gaal’s side and the highest of all teenagers in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season.
Martial started United’s 3-0 win at Everton on the left flank and was a frequent thorn in the Toffees’ side, completing more dribbles (7) than any other player in the fixture. Boasting a WhoScored strength of ‘dribbling’, the 19-year-old is tough to stop once he gains a head of steam and this weapon in his arsenal is expected to hurt City this weekend, whether he starts on the left or as the lead striker. Should the teenager be deployed on the left, as was the case last Saturday, expected right-back Bacary Sagna could be in for a long 90 minutes.
In either case, though, Vincent Kompany is expected to be the defender tasked with limiting Martial’s influence. The Belgian returned to competitive action in City’s 2-1 win over Sevilla on Wednesday, albeit as a late substitute, though the Citizens’ captain is in line to start against United. Kompany has faced United more times (18) than he has any other team, so he knows how to handle the pressure of a Manchester Derby more than most. Following a shaky campaign at the heart of the City defence, the 29-year-old looks to be back to his best, with his WhoScored rating (7.43) his highest in the last seven Premier League seasons.
Kompany boasts a WhoScored strength of ‘concentration’, which - when up against the fleet-footed Martial - must be prominent on Sunday. If the City centre-back can indeed limit his United counterpart, the visitors stand a much better chance of making four wins from their last five visits to Old Trafford.
Who do you think will come out on top in the weekend's Manchester Derby? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
