FIVE things learnt from the Manchester derby
The game ended in a bore draw
The first Manchester derby of the 2015/16 Premier League season ended in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford yesterday, here’s five things SillySeason learned from that result.
1) Wayne Rooney is struggling for form
He may have broken Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time England goal scoring record, but in England’s top flight Wayne Rooney is finding it hard to hit the back of the net.
The Manchester United and England captain has just one Premier League goal to his name this campaign and that was against his former club Everton in a 3-0 win.
Rooney is still yet to score at home and Louis van Gaal must be contemplating dropping the United star, as his fortunes don’t look like turning around any time soon.
2) Both sides were scared of losing
It seemed as though both teams were scared of losing the game to their nearest and dearest and that made for a lack-lustre offensive display.
Manchester City didn’t really have a major chance of any worth; whereas the Red Devils hit the bar through Jesse Lingard and Chris Smalling also forced a top save from Joe Hart.
Other than that nothing else was really created, which leads us on to our next point…
3) City lack edge without Silva and Aguero
Kevin De Bruyne and Wilfried Bony are very good options to have but they’re no David Silva and Sergio Aguero.
The fact that the latter two are both injured might suggest why City hardly created anything in yesterday’s derby; David Silva already has six assists in the league this season.
Also, Sergio Aguero has eight league goals already, despite being inconsistent with his fitness.
Those eight include five goals against Newcastle United, who knows what he could do if he didn’t have regular injury problems.
4) Big chance for Arsenal
The 0-0 draw means that Manchester United are fourth on 20 points and Manchester City are still top of the pile on 22 points.
However, City are only top on goal difference, as results from this weekend mean that Arsenal are now level on points with them.
This is arguably Arsenal’s biggest chance to win the title for years, especially with Chelsea enduring poor form and sitting in 15th place on 11 points.
Arsene Wenger’s Gunners have already proven they can outclass United with a 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, now they have to do that on a consistent basis if they want to win the major silverware.
5) Martial is wasted out wide
In recent weeks and in this specific game van Gaal has decided to play his French hit man Anthony Martial on the left wing.
Okay, his pace, trickery, work rate and willingness to track back means he is more than capable of playing there.
On the other hand, it could just be seen as wasting the 19-year old’s talent. His pace and movement is something that can really hurt defenders if he played through the middle and he has already proven he can poach a goal or two.
Maybe this is something United consider, especially when Rooney is badly out of touch at the moment.