Manchester Derby- Solskjær must look to January’s derby defeat for inspiration
8th of January 2020-Old Trafford: A jubilated Riyad Mahrez wheels away in celebration after slotting home Manchester City’s second goal in a highly one-sided contest at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
Utterly outclassed, bamboozled and outmaneuvered by the overclocked processor resident inside the big bald head of Pep Guardiola, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his ‘boys’, to put it kindly, succumbed to a 1-3 defeat in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
A 1-0 victory in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium would still see Manchester United knocked out of the competition on aggregate. Ole’s dreams of a first trophy in charge of the Old Trafford based outfit were dashed, as his counterpart went on to win the competition for the third consecutive time.
Two months on, the scenario in the Eastlands has taken a turn for the better. Buoyed by the winter arrival of Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes, United have gone smoothly through the gears. Solskjær’s men are currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions and are gaining steam at just the right moment in the race for a top-4 finish.
Sunday, the 8th of March marks the two monthiversary of the ‘Manchester massacre’ with City making the short trip across to the home of the record champions.
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For Solskjær, a victory in the Manchester derby would go a long way in dispelling the horror show that his side put up two months ago. Pep’s men were in the ascendency throughout and could have easily killed the tie within the first half.
Solskjær had instructed his men to play on the front foot and press the English champions as they attempted to play out from the back. A half-hearted press left the defense isolated as City, time and time again, bypassed the entirety of United’s midfield with a single pass. City’s unorthodox 4-6-0 formation also left acres of space for their players to run into, and the Norwegian must make sure that history does not repeat itself.
His record, however, fails to inspire the confidence of even the most optimistic United fan. The ex-Molde manager has failed to earn a single point at Old Trafford against his Spanish counterpart’s charges.
The Norwegian is expected to set his team up in the 3-4-2-1 formation that worked out so well in their last trip to the Etihad Stadium. However, with captain Harry Maguire’s involvement in limbo, the baby-faced assassin could also go with a 4-2-3-1 with Eric Bailly taking Maguire’s place.
His gameplan is simple. Sit deep, absorb pressure and hit Manchester City on the counter. City’s defense has shown signs of improvement in recent times. However, they are still missing their defensive lynchpin Aymeric Laporte and their other center-back options can be found wanting in the pace department.
Solskjær learned his lesson the hard way. Stick to your principles no matter what and you will reap your rewards. January’s thrashing was a meek attempt by the Norwegian to beat City at their own game. The end result was there for all to see.
Josep Guardiola is one of the world’s best managers and always has a trick or two up his sleeve and thus Solskjær must be careful not to play into the Spanish tactician’s hands.
It has been over seven years since United won the Premier League. Dormant for the fair part of the last decade, the organization behind the club is doing everything they can in restoring their status in the upper echelons of English football.
Beating the reigning champions would help accelerate the process. To become the best, you need to beat the best.
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Chants of “Campeones, Campeones, ole, ole, ole” have been emanating regularly from the blue side of Manchester. For United and Solskjær, the ‘ole’ would have a deeper meaning. But first, they must get into the top-4.
Ole ‘Gunnar’ do the double over City? Watch and find out! Super Sunday indeed!