Will Roberto Mancini go for broke and seek Manchester City win against United?
It will be fascinating to see how Roberto Mancini sets up his Manchester City side to tackle Manchester United on Saturday for a match his own team really need to win to have a serious chance of taking the title.
Flying winger: Aleksandar Kolorov should give Manchester City some width to test Manchester United in the deby Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Alan Smith 10:01PM GMT 11 Feb 2011
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City, who are five points behind United having played a game more, can no longer afford to tread a cautious path in the way that they have in some previous big games. That is assuming, of course, that Mancini actually wants to go for broke, because there is a suspicion that he is quite happy just making sure Champions League football comes City’s way next season.
If that happens, the Italian can rightfully feel progress is being made, so allowing a more concerted assault on the title next season when the club may have bought one or two more players.
Sounds great in theory, but the thing about football is that you cannot always pick your moments so clinically. Sometimes, a chance presents itself earlier than expected, a chance that can be grabbed, given a little courage.
That is why it will be intriguing to see City’s approach at Old Trafford, see who Mancini picks and how he instructs them. Because we have seen in the past, firstly against United at Eastlands and then at Arsenal last month, how Mancini is not always over-fussed about trying to win the game. On both occasions, he was happy to eke out a drab goalless draw.
The difference this time is that he has Edin Dzeko to provide more firepower. And having signed the striker at great expense, it would be a shame for the neutral if he started on the bench, like he did against West Bromwich Albion last week.
Not that Mancini will be worried about that. In sticking to his preferred 4-2-3-1 shape, City’s manager is desperate to stop leaking goals, meaning Dzeko could miss out in favour of a system that, first and foremost, will be hard to break down.
So let us assume Dzeko does not make it and Carlos Tévez again leads the charge, flanked by the clever David Silva and perhaps Aleksandar Kolorov, who could provide some necessary width as he did last week against West Bromwich Albion.
Silva is enjoying an excellent debut season and can be devastating when he cuts in from the right on to that left foot. Tévez can therefore make runs with confidence, knowing the Spaniard will try to pick him out (Fig 1).
Kolorov, meanwhile, can work up and down the left, always mindful of his defensive duties, particularly the threat posed by Nani.
As for United, Sir Alex Ferguson must also decide how to set up. He can guess what City will do, so that might edge him towards playing 4-3-3 (Fig 2). If not from the start, it is certainly a switch he can make mid-match, should City start bossing possession in the middle of the park.
Rich kids
I am reliably informed by someone who knows that Arsenal should actually head the rich list of clubs published on Thursday. As it is, they lie fifth behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. But if the revenue from Arsenal’s extensive property portfolio had been included - which it could have been - they would stand astride all those other European superpowers.
Not that many Arsenal fans would take comfort from that right now. They will be hoping instead that their team can bounce back from the humiliating episode at St James’ Park. Admittedly, when United later lost at Wolves, a point against Newcastle proved a point gained, but that cannot hide the fact that Cesc Fabregas and co still look a little short of being champions-elect.
Because when the black and white tide kept surging their way, the visitors lost their heads. No one in the ranks could find the answer, which would have been to just keep the ball. Or, if in doubt, boot it in the stands to kill Newcastle’s momentum.
Yet all is not lost. Assuming Wolves do not pull off another shock today, this time at the Emirates, Arsenal could peg back more points on the leaders if United do not beat City. Under those circumstances, last week’s nightmare can be forgotten and the club can move forward. Forward to a future built on financial clout.
Player To Watch
Luis Suárez: perhaps a good day for Liverpool to give him his first start, seeing as he cannot play next week in the Europa League. And the way things are going under Kenny Dalglish, the £23 million Uruguay striker will do himself proud.
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