Manchester United vs. Manchester City: 5 key players for the derby
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 19: Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford on August 19, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
There are a litany of high-profile and high ability players on display in the Manchester Derby for both Manchester United and Manchester City. Here are 5 key players.
It’s Manchester United, it’s Manchester City, it’s Old Trafford. This is the first gargantuan match of the early Premier League season.
A million cliches will fly around in the build up of this game. You’ll incessantly hear “title decider”, “top of the table six pointer”, “throw out the form because this is a derby”, and other tired sayings.
As annoying as they are, they’re rooted in truths.
Both clubs flying out of the gates with perfect 3-0-0 records and are already building impressive goal differentials. It is an early season title decider and a top of the table six pointer. It’d just be nicer to see them more eloquently pontificated.
That last cliché about the form and the derby usually means that one team is outpacing the other, then the media still tries to drive the hype machine to ensure no one thinks it’ll be an easy game. But that’s also because it won’t be, even if both teams weren’t playing so fantastically.
In the match will see some of the league’s best players on display. And that’s without Sergio Aguero who’s suspended for three games after elbowing Winston Reid in the face last time out.
Names like David de Gea, Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial will be opposite players like David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Nolito and potential debuts from Claudio Bravo and Leroy Sane.
Oh and not to mention two of the best managers in the world: Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
What a spectacle.
Any player who steps on the field will have a huge role. There’s no hiding. But here are five of the most important players that’ll decide the battle of Manchester.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Iheanacho has been given this golden opportunity thanks to Aguero’s elbow (and Reid’s face). He’d never dream to start at Old Trafford against United, but after Wilfried Bony was exiled (due to Iheanacho overtaking him plus his play not jiving much with Guardiola) and Aguero’s unavailability, it looks like Iheanacho will lead the City lines.
The young Nigerian will have to be brash and unafraid. The striker in his new managers’ system should be the recipient of ample opportunities in the final third, it’ll be up to Iheanacho to take advantage of his situation.
Get the FanSided App
Last season Iheanacho scored eight goals in seven starts in the league last season, plus 19 matches off the bench, a total of 753 minutes. Slightly worse than a goal 90 minutes per goal which is a fantastic rate in a small sample size.
This year he’s only seen 19 minutes on the pitch in two substitute roles in the league behind Aguero. Guardiola isn’t a fan of playing two strikers so Iheanacho will have to make this most of this match to see the field more when Aguero returns because the Nigerian can conceivably play on the wing when needed.
Sterling has started the season well, but that’s still a position that Iheanacho can steal some shine. It starts against United.
We’ll find out how far along the 19-year-old is in his maturation and progression. Rashford has gotten a lot of the limelight and headlines with his luminous and pyrotechnic timing of goals. Most are looking at Rashford as the likely young striker to steal the match, but it may well be Iheanacho.
HULL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: Paul Pogba of Manchester United prays for the final whistle during the Premier League match between Hull City and Manchester United at KC Stadium on August 27, 2016 in Hull, England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
Paul Pogba
Shocker.
Pogba will have a huge two-way role for United. He’ll be integral in aiding their attacks though mainly he’ll have a monumental job to do to in stifling City’s attacking midfielders.
At different points during the game, Pogba will be running into de Bruyne, Silva, Sterling, Nolito or whoever else City populate their attack with. Whoever it is, they’ll be good. And they’ll need Pogba to help sweep them up with his natural talent and athleticism. The dirty work that doesn’t end up on twitter in the form of nifty vines with trendy electronic music behind it.
Especially if he’s next to Marouane Fellaini, Pogba will be that much more important. These are the games he was bought for.
In the attack, what we all love Pogba for, he’ll still have the chance to operate there, too. He’ll still get forward and find the space left behind by Rooney and Mkhitaryan, plus the area not picked up by Silva and de Bruyne. He’ll have the chance to put his footprint on the match at all times.
Pogba has yet to score for United in his nascent return. Imagine if that changes against City at Old Trafford? Oh man, the stands may well crumble.
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – APRIL 12: Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City celebrates as he scores their first goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match between Manchester City FC and Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium on April 12, 2016 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Kevin de Bruyne
Without Aguero, de Bruyne will need to lead the attack. I know I said a lot about Iheanacho, who’ll no doubt be extremely important, but de Bruyne must have a great game going forward to alleviate the pressure from Iheanacho.
Last season due to injury he was only able to make 22 starts in the Premier League and he was extremely impressive with seven goals and nine assists. Against United, he’ll need a boost in the goals department. He’ll be the engine for the attack, next to Silva.
This season de Bruyne hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet yet, but has two assists. The Manchester derby would be a brilliant place for him to find his first goal of the new season.
When de Bruyne is in top form, he’s unplayable. He’s fantastic and a joy to watch. When the full City attack is on their game and available, it’s going to be absolutely beautiful to watch Guardiola calling the shots as de Bruyne, Silva, Gundogan and Aguero combine going forward. Masterful.
Two of those four won’t be on display against United, Mourinho’s men are catching a break.
De Bruyne is enough to frighten defenses, though. As many times that he can isolate anyone from the United back four, or even better, Fellaini, that’s a great situation for City and it’s the likeliest for them to be dangerous.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: John Stones of Manchester City is challenged by Gokhan Tore of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on August 28, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)
John Stones
We had to get one defender in here, didn’t we?
With all the expensive attacking services on display, there’ll be a shiny new £50million defender roaming around, too.
Stones will have to deal with Ibrahimovic and that’s a proposition absolutely no defenders want to do, much less a young center back with the burden of that price tag, one so high that’d be expected to deal with any striker.
Other than Ibrahimovic, he’ll find himself dealing with the likes of Martial, Rooney, Mkhitaryan, Rashford or Juan Mata. Absolutely no respite.
Stones will also be tasked with beginning attacks from deep, transitioning the ball from defense to midfield and keeping care of it during City’s long spells of possession. He can’t have any let downs against a Mourinho team. Regardless if he’s meant to be playing more attacking football to be congruent with United’s history, it’s still Mourinho. He’s counter attacking to the bone.
It’d be easier for Stones had Vincent Kompany been fit to be next to him and guide, lead him. But Kompany won’t be there. It’ll be Stones on his own.
The 22-year-old has been lauded for his maturity and ability through his young career, that’ll need to be on display against United.
If not, it could be catastrophic for City.
HULL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Hull City and Manchester United at KC Stadium on August 27, 2016 in Hull, England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Naturally, right? No surprises here: Ibrahimovic will be influential in the derby.
An oversimplification this may be yet it’s still primevally integral to a football match: goals change games.
We’ve seen it a million times. It only takes one moment. And Ibrahimovic is the most capable on the pitch, no matter what other 21 players collate Old Trafford with him, of creating that one special moment.
Ibrahimovic has done it since he signed for United. His first preseason game, he scored a scissor kick goal. Because of course he did.
Then he scored in the Community Shield as well as his debut. Ibrahimovic has hit the ground running and that’s the scariest possible entity for City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool.
More from Playing for 90
They all held tenable hope that he may have joined the league one year too late or maybe there’d be an integration stage where he wasn’t on top form or maybe he’d continue his lackluster form with Sweden this summer or maybe someone would clip his pony-tail and take with it his powers or maybe he’d cause serious, physical, illegal harm to that person who clipped said ponytail and land him in jail and not on the pitch for United but nope. All for naught.
Ibrahimovic has been the real deal and Stones surely must be scared. Plus the Swede has already begun the mind games with City keeper Bravo by sending him a package of training gear, adding a note that said “you’ll need it.”
There’s only one Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
This article originally appeared on 
