5 factors that will determine the outcome of the Manchester Derby

This weekend’s blockbuster is the highly anticipated Manchester Derby. The match has grown in stature and importance over the years due to the rise in quality of the Manchester City side and the game has often played a vital role in deciding where the title goes in recent years.Sunday’s derby will see a former Real Madrid manager face a former Barcelona manager.Both managers will go into the game in different moods. Manchester United will be high on confidence after salvaging a last minute draw against Chelsea in their last game while City come into the game on the back of two consecutive defeats.Here are five factors that are likely to determine the outcome of this season’s first Manchester Derby.

#1 Pellegrinis tactical versatility

Manuel Pellegrini will be a busy man on Sunday. The Chilean is without a win in their last three games in all competition and this is unusual for a club of City’s standard.

The defending Premier League Champions lost their previous league game to high flying West Ham United and prior to the game the Hammer’s manager Sam Allardyce said the following:

“There are two types of coaches. There’s coaches like me who weigh up the opposition and ask the team to adjust. Fergie was similar. Jose [Mourinho] is similar. Then there’s Arsène, who won’t adjust. There’s Brendan [Rodgers], who looks like he won’t adjust. There’s Manuel Pellegrini, who looks like he won’t adjust, even in the Champions League. He seems to favour what he’s got. City are quite open.

“Their [Wenger/Rodgers/Pellegrini’s] philosophy is different to ours. Ours is more about who are we playing against. Their philosophy is more, ‘We always play this way’, and they won’t change, they carry doing on the same thing. That’s why you can beat them.”

Allardyce proved that he was right by countering City’s tactics by pressing them high up the pitch in their own half and making life difficult for them. Pellegrini was again tactically outclassed by Alen Padrew’s struggling Newcastle in the league cup during the week.

City will be up against an even more tactically sound and versatile manager on Sunday and Pellegrini will need to cook something new if he is to outclass Louis Van Gaal.

#2 Manchester Uniteds defence

It is no news that the Manchester United defense has been below par this season. They have consistently leaked goals so far and if it wasnt for David De Geas heroics on numerous occasions United would have been even farther down the league table.

Van Gaal has slowly and steadily started to improve his sides defending but it will be a daunting task to keep out a side which scored over 100 league goals last season. Moreover Sergio Aguero has been in devastating form and the Argentine single-handedly took apart Spurs earlier this season.

United will have to defend as a team and hope that none of their defenders come up with individual blunders like Rojos mishap against Chelsea last weekend. Van Gaal will also warn his defenders not to wrap their hands around opposition players in the box while defending corners because they may not always get away like they did against Chelsea.

#3 The battle in the middle

Manchester United’s midfield has been given a great boost by the performances of a rejuvenated Marouane Fellaini. The towering Belgian put in a great display last weekend against league leaders Chelsea and fought hard against Nemanja Matic and arguably came on top.

Fellaini is once again likely to start the game on Sunday and he will act as an enforcer who has to keep the City midfield from feeding through balls to their forwards.

Manchester United also have a very fearsome forward line-up and therefore the City midfielders will also have to be up to the challenge to ensure that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Radamel Falcao and Robin Van Persie are starved off possession.

If Pellegrini doesn’t change his system for the derby then Yaya Toure and Fernando will be playing in midfield for the Citizens while Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini is likely to start for the visitors.

It will be interesting to see if either manager will go with a three man midfield to press higher up the pitch and be safer defensively. Van Gaal has options like Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher to put in midfield alongside Blind and Fellaini while Pellegrini has Fernandinho and Milner to compliment Toure and Fernando.

#4 Citys ability to cope without David Silva

Although Manchester City are above Manchester United in the league table the home side will be under far more pressure than the visitors.

United are undergoing a rebuilding phase and they are not expected to win the league title by many whereas City are the safest bet when it comes to competing with Chelsea for the trophy.

The Etihad outfit are already six points behind league leaders Chelsea and if they don’t secure all three points on Sunday they could fall very far behind Chelsea in the title race.

They have already failed to defend their league cup after losing to Newcastle this week and a loss or draw on Sunday could severely dent their hopes of defending the league title.

The home side will be without their talisman David Silva for the Derby after the Spaniard suffered an injury in the league cup game. This will add extra pressure on the likes of Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure.

#5 How Louis Van Gaal will assemble his strike force

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will return from suspension on Sunday and it will be a welcome selection head ache for manager Louis Van Gaal. United were also without Falcao for the encounter against Chelsea and the return of two world class strikers will make any manager happy.

United are likely to start with two strikers up front and it will be interesting to see who the Dutchman will pick for the game. The visitors have also played with all the three strikers starting the game, but such a formation could cut out the defensive work rate of the team and make them susceptible to counter attacks.

United could start with a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-1-2 (Diamond) similar to the one Liverpool used last season if they are to play a two striker formation.

Van Gaal could also start with a lone striker like he did against Chelsea and this would give him an additional midfielder which will help him give more control in the midfield battle. All these factors make the selection of strikers a very key determining factor in the game.