Manchester Derby: City could do with a bit of Kompany at Old Trafford

LOUIS VAN GAAL was bold in his immediate assessment after last Saturday’s 3-0 win at Everton.

“We have to be more consistent, so next week when we win against Manchester City, then we can say: ‘OK, now we think about title aspirations’.”

Some may dismiss that as the first bout of the Manchester United manager’s mind games ahead of a big derby.

But what van Gaal says is correct.

United went to Arsenal three weeks ago riding high on top of the Premier League but were three goals down inside 20 minutes.

It led to a comprehensive defeat and another hint that van Gaal’s United are not yet the finished article.

But an excellent performance at Goodison was a fine response, and now they have an opportunity to leapfrog their neighbours with victory this afternoon.

It might not be a signal that United are ‘back’, but they don’t necessarily need to be.

The opening two months of the season have shown there is no team in the Premier League without fault and all the main contenders have lost at least twice.

But van Gaal will recognise that he could land a huge psychological blow if he can inspire his players to three points.

Claiming local bragging rights is one thing, but over the last few years, the pre-eminent team in Manchester has usually been the pre-eminent team in England.

When City were taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, the target was to overtake their neighbours as the No.1 club in the country.

Since then, and allied to City’s huge spending power, the Manchester derby has become one of the most exciting and pivotal fixtures of the football calendar.

In 2009/10, Sir Alex Ferguson inspired his team to last-minute winners in three of the four derbies as they kept their noses in front.

But when City defeated United at Wembley in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final, change was taking place.

They ended their 35-year wait for a trophy, and United fans were forced to remove their ticking clock banner that had hung gleefully from the Stretford End.

The inferiority complex had gone and that was evident in City’s incredible 6-1 win at Old Trafford in October 2011.

That result would become even more pivotal in the last few weeks of the season as City clawed back an eight-point deficit on their neighbours.

After Sergio Aguero’s injury-time heroics against QPR, Roberto Mancini’s men were champions on goal difference, thanks in no small part to that game in October.

Ferguson produced one last act of defiance the year after as he beat City to the signing of Robin van Persie. And the Dutchman’s last-minute winner in the meeting at the Etihad Stadium was probably the decisive factor in why they romped to the title.

With Moyes replacing United’s knight and Manuel Pellegrini coming in next door, territory was up for grabs.

But a comfortable derby double for City especially in the 3-0 win at Old Trafford signalled the direction in which the two sides were heading.

Since then and the arrival of van Gaal, United have been playing catch-up. And they have spent fortunes in doing so.

Last season, honours were even with one victory apiece, as both clubs trailed behind Chelsea.

But now for this first clash of this campaign, United are the slight favourites for the first time since Ferguson was in the hotseat.Who will win the Manchester derby? Manchester United Manchester City Neither – it’ll be a drawThe feeling around the city is that the Reds might just be catching their neighbours at the right moment.

City may have headed into this weekend at the top of the table, but they are not the side who began with five straight wins and no goals conceded.

They have gone eight games without a clean sheet, and all since captain Vincent Kompany went off injured against Juventus in September.

Their skipper returned to play for Belgium in the international break much to his manager’s annoyance but has not started either of City’s last two games.

However, the partnership of Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi in Kompany’s absence has been far from watertight.

Home wins over Newcastle and Bournemouth looked emphatic on paper, but hid some alarming moments at the back, and it’s impossible to think Kompany will not start this afternoon to try and restore a semblance of order.

Yet they travel across town without their two attacking starlets, David Silva and Sergio Aguero.

The hamstring injury picked up playing for Argentina makes Aguero a big miss, especially when examining his record of eight goals against United, including on each of his three visits to Old Trafford.

And without the creative promptings of Silva, who was also injured on international duty, City are never quite the same team, so the onus will be on United to take advantage.

For much of van Gaal’s time at United, the football has not always matched the philosophy, with many games won by sheer force of personality rather than quality.

The Dutchman has been able to rebuild the squad to his own liking and could even get away with a £59.7m flop in Angel di Maria.

However, the arrival of Anthony Martial may prove to be a turning point. The Frenchman is raw, and at £36m, incredibly expensive for an unproven 19-year-old. But his pace offers an ingredient that United were sorely lacking.

In four of the five League games in which he’s been involved, his side have scored three times. That cannot be a coincidence.

Whether he is good enough to lead the attack of a title-winning side is another question, but his speed distracts defenders and creates space for others.

He already has one memorable goal against Liverpool to his name, and it would be quite something if he could slay another of City’s biggest rivals.

Recent history tells us that if United fans are smiling tonight, there is a good chance they’ll be looking down on the rest in May.