Mourinho’s
numbers against Guardiola are the stuff that nightmares are made of. 18 games
and only four wins is not the sort of record any manager would like to have
against one of their main rivals. Particularly when Guardiola has won nine of
those games, with five draws (one game did go to penalties, with Pep winning
the Super Cup in the process). But that fourth win today will do wonders to
turn around a souring tide at Old Trafford and does even their record within
England this season. Guardiola might have won the more important game, 2-1 in
the league, but this will be sweet revenge for Mourinho, just as his season
appeared to be unraveling before his suddenly sleepy eyes.
Guardiola
won’t worry too much about the loss, particularly as it is the least important
of the four competitions City are competing in and he played with a severely
weakened side. But a win is a win and a six game run without a victory is certainly
troubling for a manager who has never experienced that in his sparkling career.
For City, it is the first time they have had a long winless streak this long since
2008 and the first time since 2012 they went an entire game without a solitary
shot on goal.
What might
be most worrying, however, was the level of play for City, who sent wayward
pass after wayward pass throughout the game, got caught out with some suspect
defending on the Mata winner and seem to have a lack of confidence that is not
new to this side. The fact Kompany came off after 45 minutes, purportedly
because he was tired, might also cause concern. And there is the fact they need
a victory to stop the bleeding but Guardiola decided to take a pass on ending
his winless streak against a rival who was suffering through his own troubling
spell.
The hero
here is a guy who doesn’t seem to get the respect that he deserves. At Chelsea,
after two straight years as player of the year, he was largely consigned to the
bench by Mourinho before being unceremoniously sold to a direct rival. Now that
Mourinho has returned to United, he has left the Spaniard largely out in the
cold again, even as he continues to contribute and score whenever given the
chance. Rumors even have him heading to Milan in the winter, a move that seems
a bit odd given the dearth of offensive threat from his side so far this
season.
And
while Mourinho and United will take some comfort from this victory, there is
still the troubling form of the most expensive player in the world and a guy
who chipped in 50 goals a season ago. Ibrahimovic had one of the worst 45
minutes of his career, according to Jamie Carragher and other observers, though
he redeemed himself partially by providing the assist for the winning goal.
Pogba, on the other hand, was largely anonymous yet again, and one has to now
wonder if the pressure of his pricetag is pushing him to try too hard and lose
his form in the process.
In the
larger scope of things, the game won’t matter much for other side unless United
go on to win the League Cup, but winning a skirmish of this nature will
certainly bolster Mourinho while amplifying the critique of Guardiola’s stubbornness.
United have a good chance to get through to the semis, hosting a struggling
West Ham at Old Trafford in the next round. Arsenal take on Southampton at the
Emirates, Liverpool host Leeds at Anfield and strugglers Hull City invite a
streaking Newcastle to KCOM.
Liverpool
is the hottest side among the remaining teams, though Arsenal are still
undefeated since their opening day loss to the Reds and have added a defensive
stability long absent from the side. One would expect the winner to come among
the big three left in the competition, but you never know …
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