The Manchester derby was a game of complete contrasts both in terms of scoreline and performance, but perhaps above all as it pertains to the directions both teams seem to be heading in.
Manchester City’s 3-0 win on Sunday saw the reigning Premier League champions completely dominate against Manchester United, who arguably allowed City to put on a masterclass in pressing and build-up play at times. The winners seem to have put a brief rough patch behind them and without a doubt are contenders to win the title for a fourth year in a row, but the story of the game is United.
The hosts have yet to string together a convincing performance this season even on the days they eventually came out on top and had little to nothing going for them against City. A few glimpses at goal turned into absolutely nothing and so many different players were nonexistent for long stretches of the match. The result only adds to an unimpressive start to the season and forces the question: How do you fix this?
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Here are three takeaways from the game.
Haaland can’t stop
Everything came up City on Sunday — they had 60.4% of possession, 21 shots and 10 on target, 3.95 expected goals and 89.6% passing accuracy from 597 passes, to name just a few. Pep Guardiola’s side was given the opportunity to play with absolute freedom and earned the result to back it up, but even on a day that showcased tremendous teamwork, one player stood out above the rest — Erling Haaland.
Haaland had two goals and one assist against United, including the first half penalty that initially gave his team the lead. He had five shots on Sunday, four of which were on target and 2.05 expected goals. He was reliable as ever for City and continued his stellar run of form this season.
The Norwegian star now has 11 goals in 10 league games, on pace with his expected goals tally of 10.25. He’s landed 61.5% of his 24 shots on target so far this season, maintaining the staggering form he displayed in his first season, behind only two players (Brighton and Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson and Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson) who have scored five or more goals this season. Haaland has maintained the staggering form that he displayed during his first season with City, demonstrating that his initial success with the club may not have been a fluke after all.
It all goes wrong for United
United went into the matchup boasting talented players of their own, but no one turned up on the day, much as they have time and time again this season.
Though the team fell short in every area of the pitch, perhaps the biggest issue for the hosts was the ineffective midfield. Christian Eriksen partnered with Sofyan Amrabat at the start but the pairing seemed unsuited for the task in front of them and Amrabat had only nine touches before coming out at halftime. Mason Mount came on in his place, but the change did not solve the problem.
Things arguably got worse for United in the second half, when City’s lead in every category only grew. City’s attack seemed to have all the space in the world to build attacking play after attacking play and though they pressed well, United made it too easy for their opponents to regain possession in the somewhat rare occasion that they did not already have the ball. The midfield was virtually non-existent and therefore so was just about everything else United tried.
What’s next for United?
The lopsided derby result is the latest in a season of poor results for United, who came into this season with such promise after Erik ten Hag led them to a cup and a third-place finish. He has yet to get things right this season, leaving lingering questions about how the team can stop the bleeding — and if he will be entrusted with the responsibility of answering that question.
Ten Hag’s hot seat only seems to get hotter this season, and many will wonder if this will be the result that makes him the latest manager to be booted from the United gig. Despite sitting in eighth place with a handful of losses in his recent string of results, it might be a little too early for him to prepare his goodbyes.
The club’s chief executive Richard Arnold will reportedly leave once Sir Jim Ratcliffe completes his acquisition of a minority stake in United, per The Athletic, which may mean that ten Hag will have to wait until Arnold’s replacement arrives to find out his fate. Until then, it’s worth wondering if ten Hag can correct course — and if the problem is bigger than him.
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The post Manchester City vs. Manchester United takeaways: Erling Haaland has his way, Erik ten Hag’s midfield a mess appeared first on WorldNewsEra.