Manchester City will enter this weekend’s Manchester derby off the back of a 2-nil defeat to Juventus on Wednesday evening. That game perfectly encapsulated everything that has gone wrong over the past ten games for Pep Guardiola’s side. City dominated possession but were undone by their lack of cutting edge in the final third and a susceptibility to counterattacks. This Sunday’s Manchester derby is the perfect opportunity for Manchester City to get things right.
Everyone knows what is at stake in a derby. Bragging rights and the chance to get one over your biggest rivals always loom over any derby. It is the biggest game on the schedule for the fans. This Sunday’s derby gives Pep Guardiola’s side the chance to pick up a massive win in front of the Etihad faithful. But to do that they must fix what has gone wrong over the past ten games.
Speaking after his team’s defeat to Juventus Ilkay Gundogan said that the Manchester City players knew what was going wrong. They just have to fix it starting on Sunday. Gundogan had this to say post-game: “*We know exactly what is going wrong, and we know the reasons. Still, in most parts of the games, we actually don’t play badly. We play good football and create chances. We just miss a score, and if you give away one chance and they score, it’s not that easy to come back and to bounce back.*”
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It appears to be obvious how Manchester United will play on Sunday. They will look to sit deep and hit Pep Guardiola’s side on the counter with pace. That has been a strategy they have employed in the past with success. Ruben Amorim’s side are also in need of a win and that does appear to be their best chance of getting at a wounded Manchester City side.
But to get things right Pep Guardiola’s side must contain that threat. It has been arguably one of City’s biggest weaknesses of late. If they can address it and get things right on Sunday it may well decide this weekend’s Manchester derby. If they don’t we could see City’s poor run extend to one win in eleven games. It’s one thing to know what the issues are as Ilkay Gundogan said, it’s another to solve them. They must be solved on Sunday so that Manchester City can claim bragging rights and pick up all three points at the Etihad.