Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City: A tactical analysis

Manchester City acquired a minor ray of hope in terms of retaining their Premier League title, courtesy of a crucial 1-2 victory over the Red Devils in the 165th Manchester Derby. Not only did City keep their hopes alive by reducing the gap to 12 points, but they also earned redemption for their 2-3 home loss earlier in the season.

Here is a tactical look at what transpired on Monday at the Theater of Dreams.

First Half

The match started with both sides attacking, with Manchester City recapturing their brilliance from the previous season. Despite not witnessing any goals in the half, it was evident that United were hurting from the 1-0 loss at the hands of Chelsea on Easter Monday. What was more evident was the fact that Robin Van Persie and Patrice Evra were not 100%. Since the international break, these two United stars have been quite poor. Despite having a perfect start to the season, it would indeed seem as though Robin Van Persie has been hit by the Fernando Torres bug, having now gone 11 games without a goal. Patrice Evra had a terrible game against Chelsea, and his performance against the noisy neighbours was no better. Sir Alex Ferguson, not for the first time, used Danny Welbeck as a winger (a position which is quite alien to him), a mistake which Manchester United paid for heavily. Now, probably, Ferguson might realize the importance of playing a player in his natural position and will definitely consider bringing back Antonio Valencia, when they face Stoke City away the following week.

The following snapshots from the first half indicate the fluency and the confidence with which City played with. The United defence simply had no answers, with Phil Jones being the the reason only 2 goals went past them.

The snapshot below shows why City were champions last season. It is absolutely baffling that they are 12 points behind if they play like that. If we analyze it, we notice that Ashley Young is nowhere to be found, leaving Patrice Evra to deal with both James Milner and David Silva.

Second Half

The second half saw three goals, where Manchester United did themselves no favour as they were taken apart by the Manchester City who eventually went on to win 2-1.

James Milner ( 51′)

From the image above, we can infer two things. First, we notice that City, who have committed bodies forward, have been given a lot of space by United, and Rafael’s absence from the back four leaves Gareth Barry enough space to run into, courtesy of a mistake from Ryan Giggs. Michael Carrick has lost his marker and Silva too can run free. Quite frankly, Phil Jones is the only player who is executing the job entrusted to him, by marking Carlos Tevez.

Here, we can see a vintage Manchester City, which brings back memories of the 6-1 demolition of the Red Devils last season. Evra’s position sums up the kind of match he had, the same which can be said about his team.

Vincent Kompany (og) ( 58′)

The comeback kings indeed staged a comeback by scoring one at the other end, with the City captain Kompany guiding the ball courtesy of a ricochet from a full-blooded Phil Jones header. United highlighted their set piece prowess, something that has saved them time and again this season.

Sergio Aguero (78′)

Unable to start the match due to injury, Kun Aguero came on for Samir Nasri and repaid the faith his manager put in him by delivering with a goal.

Above, once again, United have surrendered more space to the opposition. Here, Ashley Young is completely unaware about the run made by Gael Clichy behind him. It seems as though all United defenders had to mark only Carlos Tevez, which gave the other City players the license to move forward and create chances. Also, what is evident is the fact that David Silva and Sergio Aguero are completely unmarked.

The snapshot below goes on to justify the reason behind spending the big bucks on Aguero. Such is the man’s talent that despite the attention of 4 defenders, he still goes on to beat them to eventually score.