It is highly unlikely that this one game will decide who wins the Premier League. It is also highly unlikely that the fate of either manager will be decided by the result of this one game. So why all the hype? Well, one reason is because Sky Sports have found out when and where the game is to be played.
Despite the two clubs trying to keep the timing and whereabouts of the match a closely guarded secret shared only between a few million fans and the two teams, it was discovered that a mole had leaked the information to Sky. The mole has since been bodily removed from Manchester and sentenced to support Arsenal for the rest of his miserable life.
Armed with this new found knowledge Sky Sports have banged on about it as though it is the most important game in the history of the world ever!
Paul Merson gives the edge to Manchester United purely because Sergio Agüero will not be playing for City. He says that, should City win without him, it would give them a massive lift knowing that they can beat United without their best player. This lift would make them favourites to win the title, which they would then go on and do with ease. So United will win for this sole, but very scientific, reason!
Merse, however, like most of Sky Sport’s employees, tends to get a little carried away when voicing his opinions.
Danny Higginbotham, who once spent five minutes as a Manchester United player, went through the tactics to be used by the two managers. Hopefully he wasn’t too accurate in his deductions as, if he was, it would take away some of the mystique associated with Guardiola and Mourinho. After all, if Higginbotham can work it out and he isn’t a Premier League manager, what does that say about the difficulties of the job? It’s obviously money for old rope as far as Pep and José are concerned!
The importance of this game has, in truth and as always, been vastly overstated. Either team can win this game and not go on to win the title. Either team can lose this game and go on to win the title. How a game, which is only the fourth of the season for both teams, can have any bearing whatsoever on the eventual destination of the Premier League trophy is completely beyond me.
Manchester United have lost big leads and overcome big deficits AFTER Christmas! These runs of results went a long way to deciding the title winners, not what the score was in the fourth game of the season.
The only way this game can possibly be perceived to have any influence on the end of season positions is if one of the two wins the league on goal difference. That being the case then not winning this game, or not taking a point from this game may be looked upon as decisive next May.
The problem with that thought process is that ANY game where points were dropped can be seen as decisive in the long run, so why blame it on one derby match?
The result of this game will not even decide which is the better team in Manchester. The fact that Sergio Agüero is suspended has ensured that City fans, if they lose, will always be able to say, “it would have been different if Agüero had played.”
Where this game IS important is in the history of Manchester derbies. It is important to the fans of both clubs. It is important to the players of both clubs. Bragging rights are demanded, if only until the next derby game, by the supporters of both clubs.
So, as far as the hype goes, this game is a big one, no doubt. As far as the truth goes, it is not as earth-shattering an event as some would have us believe. There will be far more important things going on in the world at the same time as the game is being played. Strangely enough though, as a Mancunian, I can’t think of any!
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 