After witnessing last month’s el classico this writer was left with the overwhelming feeling he had just witnessed the top two clubs in the world by a distance, and we saw a level of football that was beyond anything the Premiership could offer. Well at present the two clubs from Manchester are making a mockery of that theory. United steamrollered Bolton, and City did likewise to Wigan. The way they are swatting teams aside is very reminiscent of how La Liga’s finest go about their business. It’s certainly raining in Manchester, raining goals that is.
United are playing with a Joie de vivre not seen since the days of Ronaldo and Tevez. Rooney is back to his imperious best, already with 8 goals and looking sharper and hungrier than ever. Young looks like a seasoned red, and Hernandez has come back firing. Perhaps the biggest plus has been the emergence of Smalling and Jones who represent the heart of the English defence for the next decade.
Jones in particular has excelled, his tour de force on Saturday caused one to wonder why he wasn`t partnering Terry for England instead of the hopelessly outclassed Gary Cahill. The only caveat for United is the paucity of resources in central midfield, but they can have no qualms about any other area of the pitch.
City have been just as impressive as their neighbours if not more so. They are seemingly reborn under Mancini who looks as if he adopted an almost insouciant attacking style against Wigan. City used the 4-2-3-1 formation which has become sacred following last year’s world cup and it was a joy to behold. Many of us have gasped at the transformation from the negative and dour displays of last season to the blitzkrieg tactics of today.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised when we remember that Mancini was a player with an abundance of flair. The City manager has played his hand masterfully, waiting to stockpile his attacking resources before unleashing them to so far devastating effect. Watching City is no longer a chore but a pleasure and Mancini was spot on when he claimed only Barcelona were currently playing better football. It’s difficult to know what was more impressive about Saturday`s performance, the fact that four goal Dzeko was not needed or that Tevez has become a luxury rather than a necessity. United have Rooney but City have Silva and Aguero.
The pair have struck up a telepathic understanding which will only grow stronger. We will only know how committed Mancini is to his new found philosophy when City come up against United and Chelsea or indeed Bayern Munich. For now though lets enjoy the feast they are serving up. They embark on their European odyssey this Wednesday and Napoli will not relish coming up against this juggernaut.