The Manchester derby: United need to win, or draw, or at least play with pattern and conviction in Michael Carrick’s first game in this unforeseen interim role; City need to win, a requirement lost a little in the avalanche of United chat.
United approach the Saturday lunchtime kick-off in seventh place in the Premier League, three points off fourth. They have just been ushered out of the FA Cup by an understrength Brighton, following a 2-2 draw at Burnley. It was United’s third draw in a row in the league, the first two coming under Ruben Amorim. His explosive rant against the hierarchy meant he had to go. Darren Fletcher stepped in, now it’s Carrick. Yeah, a quiet Christmas.
City have also drawn three in a row in the league. It has left them six points behind Arsenal. City cannot afford to drop further behind by the time they host the Gunners in mid-April. There are only five games after that.
So there is a lot on the line at Old Trafford and, as ever, it feels as if midfield will be the outcome-defining area. Three midfielders should shape Saturday afternoon’s game.
Manchester City's midfielder Rodri. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/Getty
Manchester City's midfielder Rodri. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/Getty
1 Rodri
It was half-time at Sunderland-City on New Year’s Day. It was an 8pm kick-off, it was freezing, December had more matches than ever and the question you wanted to ask Pep Guardiola was: is there just too much football?
The 90 minutes finished goalless.
But as half-time was ending, an announcement of substitutions came over on the tannoy and the news was that City’s Nico Gonzalez was to be replaced.
By Rodri.
The Stadium of Light had enjoyed 2025 – the Dan Ballard goal against Coventry City was on its own a memory for locals to cherish. And now the ground provided another. It did not involve mass celebration like the Ballard moment, rather it was a hum that raced around all the stands, a noise mixing apprehension and appreciation. Its message was that Sunderland did not really want to witness the return of Rodri, but also that here was sincere football respect for a brilliant player, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, cut down by injury. It would be interesting to know if Rodri heard it.
He entered the play for the first time since a one-minute outing against Bournemouth on November 2nd, which was a first sighting since a 22-minute appearance at Brentford on October 5th. Rodri had started that game. Everybody worried again.
It was his seventh City appearance of the season but only two of them were for 90 minutes and this after missing eight months of last season, eight months when City could not cope without him.
“You have to be careful,” Guardiola said, “the schedule is the schedule. But always, with Rodri on the pitch, we are better.”
He quickly mentioned Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic, still out injured – “but Rodri is Rodri.”
Rodri played the full game against Chelsea three days later, then half an hour against Brighton and 45 minutes last Saturday against Exeter in the cup. He scored his first City goal since May 2024. He is not back to his best, but he is back.
Michael Carrick when playing for Manchester United. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty
Michael Carrick when playing for Manchester United. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty
2 Carrick
One of the things Carrick liked about playing in midfield was the awareness it gave him of the game behind and in front. It could be seen in how he knitted play, moved the ball and passed it on, often after a pause to assess possibilities.
Carrick’s short-sightedness was not diagnosed until he was an apprentice at West Ham, but no one ever quibbled about his vision after that. He was a natural midfielder, a fluent passer of the ball and were he 24 rather than 44, there would be a good deal more confidence about what United might be able to achieve today.
Now Carrick has to find a way to get the most from Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and the likes of Kobbie Mainoo. What does he think of Manuel Ugarte? Could he drop Mason Mount in to harass Rodri?
What Carrick will ask for in midfield is simplicity and bravery. He does not like the easy backward pass, nor the glory-ball for its own sake. “I’ve never played a pass for applause,” he said in his autobiography, while noting a 60-yard through-ball can be seen by the opposition, but a five-yard snapped pass can “put their whole defensive shape in a mess.”
At Middlesbrough Carrick was determined his team would control the middle of the pitch. Young Hayden Hackney had been promoted by an interim before Carrick, but Carrick retained Hackney and pushed him on.
A pass-and-move midfielder, Hackney was one of Carrick’s bright tactical decisions at Boro. He needs to reveal a few more, but first Carrick must make the midfield solid to protect a back four with just two clean sheets all season. Once again, it’s back to basics time for United. It sounds a narrow ambition for Carrick, but on Saturday, and next Sunday at Arsenal, it will be a necessity.
Manchester City's midfielder Bernardo Silva. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty
Manchester City's midfielder Bernardo Silva. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty
3 Bernardo Silva
As Guardiola adapts and evolves, his team are getting faster, less set on suffocation, more dynamic.
Sprinting Antoine Semenyo is the latest recruit – you can imagine him enjoying the wide fairways of Old Trafford if Carrick does not address open spaces. Erling Haaland is as big and powerful as Rodri. Gianluigi Donnarumma is a goalkeeper with literally extra dimensions.
Yet when City emerge from the Old Trafford tunnel, in front of 6ft 4in Donnarumma will be 5ft 8in, 10 stone captain Bernardo Silva. This is season nine in the Premier League for the 31-year-old. He made his debut in a City side containing Vincent Kompany and Sergio Agüero. Yaya Toure was on the bench. Different-era City.
Bernardo has been a league champions six times and won a few other pots. We all hesitate when it comes to Manchester City – the state ownership, the money, the charges and all that.
But they have some marvellous footballers and Bernardo is most certainly one of Guardiola’s best.
“You cannot imagine what a player Bernardo Silva is,” Guardiola said this week, saying he hopes the player stays at City for “many centuries”. It is unlikely. Out of contract in June, the expectation is Bernardo will return to his first club, Benfica.
Effective again on Wednesday night in the 2-0 League Cup win at Newcastle – now almost as feisty as he is skilful – Bernardo played alongside Rodri in September when City beat United 3-0, a result to be recalled. This will probably be Bernardo’s last Manchester derby.
To go into Guardiola-land, it feels like the millionth match of the century. It could be quite interesting.