With everyone, including Alex Ferguson himself, labelling the Manchester derby on the weekend as a ‘6 pointer’, just how bigger effect will the game actually have on the title race? Obviously it would be foolish to say that the winner of this game will be the winner of the Premier League title come May, one game is not the be all and end all, and in reality it is just worth three points.
The winner of the game would obviously have the bragging rights for the moment, and it would not sit too comfortably with defending champions United if City were to consolidate their place at the top of the table by winning at Old Trafford, in what would be their second league victory there since 1975 – the solitary other being a 2 -1 win in 2008. Not only that, but City would certainly be underlining the message that they are real title contenders and a force to be reckoned with.
Should United be victorious, and they will be the favourites to do so being on home turf, they will return to the top of the league one point ahead of City. This would not mean that City’s title challenge would be over – in football anything can happen, and the season has a long way to go yet before anyone is crowned as champions, and a single point gap does not mean this will happen.
One thing that the winner of the game will take is the confidence and belief that they are Manchester’s premier side, and especially for City, the psychological impact of a win at Old Trafford would be huge.
Much has been made of the fact that City have played relatively easy games when compared to United, with them still having to play Chelsea, Arsenal Liverpool and Stoke away, whereas United have played all of the above. Clearly City may be expected to drop points during this run of tough games, in which they also have the small matter of playing Bayern Munich to contend with. Should they come through these games, that will have a bigger effect on the title race, and should City be top after the end of December and the tricky Christmas period, that is when United should be genuinely worried, not after the game this weekend whatever the result.
Fergie and Manchester United have been there and done it too many times to really place too much emphasis on the derby, and in reality it is just three points, regardless of the result nothing will be decided this weekend.
The real concern of the weekend could well be the relative dark horses this season of Chelsea, who look to be getting better and better under Andre Villas Boas, and will be the winners this weekend regardless of who wins at Old Trafford. A draw may be preferable for Chelsea, with both teams then dropping points, but either way, as long as the blues do the business at Loftus Road they will make up ground on one or both of the top two.
Although the media and fans may revel in placing greater emphasis on the most anticipated derby in recent seasons, nothing will be decided this weekend between the top two, but don’t be surprised if Chelsea fly out from under the radar and people start considering them just as likely to win the title as either of the Manchester clubs.
Written by Rebecca Knight for FootballFancast.com
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.