The Manchester derby, one of the most prominent fixtures in the English football calendar for the last decade. And it’s not because the two are going head-to-head for the title either.
Manchester City’s steep rise to glory and success has been met with some jealousy across the city. Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once famously labelled Manchester City ‘the noisy neighbours’. And boy, have they been making a racket for the last 10 years.
Four Premier League titles, five League Cups, three Community Shields and two FA Cups all in the space of eight years really does highlight the dominance from the Citizens.
In comparison, the Red Devils haven’t been half as dominant during the same period picking up just two league titles, two Community Shields, one League Cup, one FA Cup, One Europa League title.
A mixture of poor running of the club from the Old Trafford hierarchy in managerial appointments and sackings, and shocking business in the transfer market has played its part.
To sack David Moyes just months after appointing him on a six-year contract proved a woeful decision, the club were suffering in the league no doubt, but, it’s fair to say that he didn’t get the opportunity to build his own squad. Just Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata were the notable arrivals during the Scotsman’s time at the club, not nearly enough to make a difference in a squad that pushed well above its weight in winning the league title under Ferguson.
You can say Ferguson had a particular quality in winning league championships with distinctly average players. It meant Moyes was judged on the same level as a man who has been labelled the greatest manager of all time, completely unfair in my opinion.
Compare that to how Sheikh Mansour has run the Etihad giants. There was an obvious plan in place once they realised Manuel Pellegrini wasn’t good enough. That plan? Hiring Pep Guardiola to carry out the stunning work he had implemented at Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Fair to say, with all the success, it has worked a treat.
But, on the topic of transfers, just how poor have United been since Moyes arrived back in the summer of 2013. Little over £1bn has been spent, and if were all honest with ourselves, you can count the number of successful players on one hand.
Compare that to the £1.2bn or so City have spent since 2013 and there’s a massive difference. Almost all the players to arrive at the club have proven a success at one point or another during their careers up north.
The rise and fall of the two rivals as shown byBetway football couldn’t be much different. If another club wanted a comparison between how to run a club and how not to run a club the north-west outfits are the perfect example.