The contract of 64.3 million pounds of Ruben Dias can become an important factor to help Man City overcome MU’s powerful counterattack.
MU morale is low after being eliminated from the Champions League group stage. On the morning of December 13, they entered the Manchester derby in the 12th round of the Premier League to meet “noisy neighbor”.
Man City has always been rated at the upper door compared to MU in recent years. However, “Red Devil” always creates a “twist” that makes everyone unexpected.
Each time they were expected to lose, they won again. With the 183rd Manchester derby, will the old script reappear with the “Red Devils”?
Man City revealed a weakness
In the 2019/20 season, MU continuously defeated Tottenham Hotspur and Man City. In the match at Etihad in December, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer teachers and students overcame Man City 2-1 with only 28% of possession.
In the last 4 Manchester derby matches, MU won three times. In those matches, “Red Devils” are inferior in the battle for control of the ball.
MU football is also very simple. They defended with large numbers at home, played organized and looked for goals through fast counter-attacks.
Tight defense and quick counter-attack became MU’s post under Solskjaer. Entering the 183rd Manchester derby, the Norwegian strategist may use the old blow to deal with his neighbor.
Man City brother 2
Solskjaer kicked Pep Guardiola three of the last four Manchester derby defeat. Photo: Getty.
Man City is very strong, but not invincible. They have a good coach when they have built the Etihad home team an attacking style that terrifies the rest of England.
However, Man City of Pep Guardiola still has some problems when it is often difficult to counter counterattack opponents like MU.
It was the Spanish teacher who bitterly exclaimed “sometimes, we cannot control the situation”, after Man City lost 1-2 to MU at Etihad. That day, the speed of Marcus Rashford became a nightmare and tortured the home defense.
Former Barca captain also emphasized trying to learn lessons for the future.
And the way Man City fixes the hole in the system is to increase the purchase of rookies to deal with MU’s defensive defensive play.
In the 2020/21 season, Man City had a very difficult start. The situation has improved in the last 10 games when they conceded only 3 times and kept a clean sheet in 5 consecutive matches.
In the Premier League, Man City is the second best defense team after Tottenham Hotspur, the club that is leading the table. Pep has made defensive changes, and it is of course not to appoint Sam Allardyce to teach them how to build solid defense.
Before the summer 2020 transfer window ends, Man City promptly brought Ruben Dias to Etihad to upgrade the quality of the defense. This card costs the former Premier League champion £ 64.3 million.
Ruben Dias quickly adapted to life in Manchester and the English football environment. This player became one of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted faces.
The 23-year-old midfielder became an armored defense for Ederson’s goal. After 700 minutes of playing in the Premier League, the former Benfica player averaged 0.5 tackles / game, 3 situations of breaking the ball and achieved a passing rate of 93.4% accuracy.
With Ruben Dias in defense, City’s defense problem improves. They no longer appear fragile and are easily knocked out by fast counter-attacks.