The Ferguson era has ended and the Guardiola era has begun. Manchester City have undoubtedly established themselves as the best side in Manchester and in the country…
As of late, Manchester City are shattering records and attracting worldwide attention. This is contrary to the past, when Manchester United were the dominant force in England. During that time-span, fans became used to waving the red flag high while witnessing mesmeric performances from Alex Ferguson’s sides. Away teams feared coming to Old Trafford as they would inevitably concede goals and falter against a top-class United side. The Red Devils would play exciting football but also had it in them to keep it simple when the situation required them to.
Today’s Manchester United side are not only struggling to play attractive football, but also failing to get the desired results. The recent Manchester derby illustrated the massive gulf in quality between the city’s major teams. Pep Guardiola’s side looked a class apart – passing the ball, getting into good positions, and toying with their opposition as if they were bullying kids on a playground.
It isn’t necessary to mimic City’s philosophy to be successful, but José Mourinho has failed to replicate the defensive rigidity associated with his previous teams. The match was played out as if it was between a title contender and a mid-table side, with the result reinforcing the Citizens’ superiority on the pitch. Mind you, City were also without their best player in Kevin De Bruyne – but Pep’s system continues to ensure that the team produces the same quality of football even when key players are absent.
Since Ferguson retired, Manchester United have been on the decline – and now, the difference between them and Manchester City is crystal clear. Mourinho’s appointment has widened the gap rather than shortened it. On the other hand, it has been a planned process for City which began when the club were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group. They have taken positive steps each year and have cemented themselves at the top of English football.
300 – This will be José Mourinho’s 300th @premierleague game – whatever the result today, he’s won more games than any other manager in their first 300 in the competition (currently 189). Specialist. #MUNMCI pic.twitter.com/B3SDYbPonA
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 11, 2018
Guardiola’s arrival didn’t guarantee results for the club. The Spaniard took his time with the team and despite having a poor first season, he had a clear vision for the future. Everyone can now see the results of the tiring work put in behind the scenes over the last few years. Pep has transformed Manchester City into a truly world-class football club and like he says, “It’s not about the number of trophies won – we want to be remembered by our style of football.”
Manchester City have yet to conquer Europe and will want to win a Champions League in the near future to prove their worth on the biggest stage. Elsewhere, United will need to rebuild from scratch. The first step is to bring in a manager with a clear long-term plan and subsequently back that manager with adequate resources to implement his style. José hasn’t been able to find common ground between the club’s philosophy and his own style, which has brought more problems than solutions to Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s share price has suffered its biggest drop in over a year, with more than £300m wiped off the club's value on the New York Stock Exchange 🙃 pic.twitter.com/WYDHTPSlcD
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 21, 2018
United are still one of the most popular and wealthy clubs in the world but need to represent themselves accordingly before things turn ugly. Ed Woodward, for example, is a great businessman but his footballing knowledge is far from impressive. Similarly, Mourinho is a great tactician but his tenure has not been worthy of such a prestigious club. It’ll be interesting to see how long Pep Guardiola chooses to stay at City and what happens after his departure – but for now, he’s building an almost invincible team and United must make their own transition before it’s too late.