These are exciting times to be supporters of either Manchester United or Manchester City. The two Manchester clubs are currently slugging it out at the top of the Premiership. Whatever City can do with their expensively assembled superstars, United are outdoing them with their expensively acquired youngsters!
You just have to raise your hat to that legendary statesman, Sir Alex Ferguson. Just how does he do it is the question I want to ask. Credit must be given to the Red Devils coaching team. Phil Jones, David De Gea and Ashley Young are talented players but they aren't mentioned in the same breath as City's signings of Aguero, Nasri and Silva. And yet, Young, Jones and De Gea are contributing to the best start that United has had to a Premiership season.
Manchester United are traditionally slow starters in the Premiership. The coaching staff at Melwood have done such a great job with Fergie's Fledglings Mk II that the Red Devils have been nothing short of explosive in their Premiership matches. West Brom, Spurs, Arsenal and Bolton could not keep up with the movement and pace of this young team. Not many in the Premiership can, in actual fact.
Wayne Rooney's transformation from sulky star to United's only superstar has been more telling. Eight goals in four games including two hattricks represents a complete turnaround to a player who wanted to leave United a year ago. His goals should dry up eventually as he is a notoriously streaky striker. When that happens, Rooney will simply thread killer passes to Hernandez in order to maintain United's goal scoring threat. Such is his importance to United that Rooney must already be regarded as one of United's greatest ever players.
A short distance away at the city of Manchester, the noisy neighbours are getting noticed. The rivalry turned intense when Carlos Tevez walked out of United red and stepped into City blue. The temperature got raised even more when perennially injured Owen Hargreaves also signed for Mancini's City boys. The Citi-zens have also started the season like a house on fire, turning in brilliant attacking displays in the process.
Not to be outdone by Edin Dzeko's Spurs hattrick, Kun Aguero provided more evidence that he is a Golden Boot candidate if not already its heir apparent. Mancini's aim of becoming less dependent on Tevez has been paying dividends with inspired acquisitions of Nasri and Aguero. Finally the Citi-zens have a team that can strike fear in any team, be it in the Premiership or in the Champions League. With this team, The Blues can match the famed Arsenal Invincibles, although Stoke may beg to differ.
I do not remember a time where a club has led the Premiership from start to finish. As the Manchester clubs "destroy" each other for territorial bragging rights, Chelsea could be the club that benefits most from it. The Blue Champions have yet to lose a game whilst not playing brilliantly. United and City are peaking early and there are dangers of that, whereas Chelsea are slowly building a sustained momentum to mount a calculated assault for the Premiership title.
All the same, as talented as United is this season, I doubt the Red Devils will go beyond the Champions League quarterfinal stage. City however, have the experience, skills and physical ability to beat Barcelona should they meet in the Champions League final.
Chelsea travels to Old Trafford this Sunday in the first real test for United's young team. Torres has been the scourge of United in recent times and if he plays, Old Trafford could be the stage to reignite El Nino's Chelsea career. This weekend could potentially separate the two Manchester clubs at the top.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment