Desperation derby shows Manchester City’s need for actions to back up words
“The most eagerly anticipated Manchester derby in decades” they called it, but presumably nobody told the players, and certainly no-one informed the managers.
Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United served up the kind of spectacle that didn’t exactly fit in with Sky Sports’ endless hyping up of the match – Andy Gray’s repeated cries of “it’s just warming up now” last night were more out of hope than expectation. It was dull.
Yet Ferguson was probably happy with that.
Hampered by a virus hitting the camp this week – although not as hampered as he none-too-convincingly made out at his pre-match press conference, genius mind games it was not – it wasn’t the responsibility of the first Knight of Manchester to take the game to his “noisy neighbours” at Eastlands, it was Mancini’s, and in failing to do so the Italian once again revealed the overly cautious approach that is at the heart of his reign. So brash off the pitch, City can be so timid on it.
Supporters were baffled when Mancini chose to squeeze what little life there was in a poor Liverpool at home in February. The match finished goalless, but had City won then they would have given their challenge for a top-four place a huge shot in the arm whilst simultaneously harming one of their rivals. They were similarly negative at Arsenal towards the back end of last season too, while – perhaps most inexcusable – they stood off Tottenham in May’s huge “Champions League play-off” at Eastlands. Peter Crouch’s winner was their punishment.
And it happened again here.
Maybe it was more unforgivable this time, given the opponents, their vulnerability and the importance placed upon their visit. There is a heavyweight boxing contest between David Haye and Audley Harrison in Manchester on Saturday, but the city’s two football institutions simply danced around each other last night, never really threatening to land a killer blow. It was punchless.
This was Mancini’s chance to make a huge statement of intent, yet he passed it up.
Too often City – despite the multi-million pounds worth of talent in their squad – appeared to be relying on Carlos Tévez to produce a piece of magic, simply waiting for their skipper to win the match for them. Liverpool’s reliance on Steven Gerrard isn’t a sign of their strength in depth, and neither was this.
If only they’d been braver. This isn’t a vintage United year, and although Ferguson’s side are somehow still unbeaten this season, they have visibly struggled when teams have come out and attacked them, most recently on Saturday when Wolves should have got something at Old Trafford.
They’ve leaked goals, but City plumbed the depths in trying to score them last night. Emmanuel Adebayor may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he deserved more than to be ushered on as a 94th-minute, time-wasting replacement for Tévez. The Togolese looked embarrassed to be there, but it is his manager who should be blushing today.
City’s caution may yet get them the top-four place they crave – Spurs and Liverpool look inconsistent – but invention will have to be added if they are to realise that title dream that they are so vocal about wanting to achieve.
United were better in possession without really threatening, and while a sense of fear gripped Eastlands as the visitors – just as they did on three occasions last season – edged closer and closer to goal in the dying moments, this was the anti-climax to end all anti-climaxes.
The task for Mancini is to ensure that his reign isn’t going the same way.
A little more attacking intent must be required to ensure it doesn’t.
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