Rivalries make the British modern day football all the more exciting, as clubs wait for their fixtures with their arch rivals each year with nerves and anticipation. Whether it is Celtic v Rangers, West Ham v Millwall or Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United, there are massive rivalries at all levels of the British game but can they sometimes ruin a season?
It is not often, but two teams can focus too much on each other and forget about the real aim of competitions in the long run. That may be an issue in Manchester this season with United realising that their city rivals have got to be taken seriously and they will do anything to stop them winning their first ever Premier League title. Dismissed as the ‘noisy neighbours’ by many Red Devils, Man City are now well and truly favourites for the league this season after beating Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Just a few hours before, United went top of the league with a convincing victory over QPR at Loftus Road before being overtaken once again in the battle of Manchester.
But there is a chance that the rivalry could possibly erupt and the two clubs could get hooked up on each other and forget about their competition. With the Thursday night Europa League football looming and the clash between the clubs in both the FA Cup and the Premier League on the horizon, there could be a chance that the chasing pack could take advantage of the hectic schedule.
When I say chasing pack, I of course mean Chelsea and Tottenham. The London pair have both had ups and downs this season but seem to be able to pick up crucial points at crucial times which can’t rule them out of the title race altogether.
The two rivals meet at White Hart Lane on Thursday night in a game that has the possibility to put one club very much in the race for the Premier League. If Spurs can beat Chelsea and win their game in hand against Everton they will sit just two points behind the champions United; who, as previously mentioned have a hectic fixture list coming up in the New Year. Equally, Chelsea have a decent run of fixtures after the Spurs game and will be hoping that their title challenge is not yet extinguished after a disappointing draw away at Wigan.
All the teams still have to meet each other again in the league this season and it could be them games that decide the title, but with Europa League Thursday nights coming up and Chelsea and Spurs having very little pressure on them as far as the title is concerned, it may be a matter of time before the top two clubs begin to drop points on a regular basis.
Written by Brad Pinard for FootballFancast.com.
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The answer is no. very simple. If two teams are trying to better one another, the best way they can do this is win every game, this will not help Spurs or Chelski.
Surely if Utd focus soley on getting ahead of Citeh, their aim will be to win all their matches thus making them more determined than ever? It’s not like a seasoned manager such as Fergusson will be disregarding all games bar the Manchester derby in hope that one win will secure the league!