Another brilliant weekend for both fans, players, owners, and coaches alike in the MPL. Oh wait...I meant the EPL...or did I? The Manchester Premier League was in full force this weekend, seeing the derby between the top two teams in the league materialize into a near 8 goal explosion. And to clarify, this wasn't the kind of 8 goal explosion that last years oh-so-anticipated Arsenal-Newcastle match up unexpectedly yeilded, or last seasons 7-1 football clinic that United held, pro bono I might add, for Blackburn. This was an explosion of goals that saw the defending champions of the English Premier League look like a group of helpless children and senile adults; depending on if you were watching Smalling or Ferdinand. Sure some of the goals came late, really late...(3 to be exact) but more than the score line, it was City's fearless mentality and razor sharp focus and adherence to maintaining their aggressive style of play that made the result so special. And ugh, oh yeah, it was at Old Trafford, the sacred church of the Red Devils. It seemed as though they might have ran out of Holy Water in Stretford End.
The calculated equation of Silva's wizard-like craftsmanship on the ball, Milner's relentless weaving runs, Balotelli's slight of hand, and the Lescott, Kompany, Richards wrecking crew, was something only a tactical Italian meastro such like Mancini could have roughly sketched, painted, and sold to a passerby billionaire tourist from Dubai...like a struggling yet talented art vendor on the rustic streets of Genoa. More than his tactical adeptness, Mancini should be heralded for having the balls and brains to even manage having players on his squad in the same room, let alone the same pitch, without killing each other. He has created an environment that appears to be promote a growing bond and friendship between Dzeko and Kolorav, a Bosnian and Serb who could have many prevalent and deep seeded reasons to ignore and have disdain for one another. That is just one example of the cohesion he seems to have brought to the Etihad; for millionaire footballers and their egos can be harder to convince to respect and buy into one another's worth, than it can be to arrange such an environment between a Bosnian and Serb. (See Bowyer vs. Dyer) The impish smile on Roberto's face as the goals came flooding in said it all. Wavy parted locks of hair moving gently in the wind, with his blue eyes sparkling and his teeth clenched in euphoria, he looked like that cute girl in 3rd grade sitting at her desk getting slightly meaningful Valentines cards from all the boys in class on that breezy day in February. It was her moment... she had no idea that she was pretty yet...or at least she was pretending not to know. This was a signature win for the "other" manager in Manchester, who wasn't necessarily desperate for the resounding victory which began to unfold before him, but it seemed to be a nice, and hopefully continuous crescendo to whatever Mancini and his squad have been cooking behind the light blue walls of the Man City locker room.
There is a expression in the world of sports that goes something like this: "The most entertaining and touching storyline isn't always in the winners' lockeroom.." This mantra could not be more true in the context of City's relentless thrashing of United in front of their own crowd. I was touched deeply, in fact i was tickled by the tickle monster deeply, when I heard Sir Alex Ferguson call this "the worst loss in his career as a player or coach...ever..." He should, before he does his usual and effective deflecting to protect the egos and well being of his squad, refer to the 1959 Boxing Day thrashing by Queen of the South over Queen's Park, for whom a 16 year old Alexander Ferguson scored the lone goal for QP in a 7-1 murk sesh. And I was entertained deeply, watching the likes of Rio Ferdinand, with his beak like lips and angry eyes, struggle to cope with a City attack that continually left the seasoned center back simultaneously crying like a baby yet looking like a dinosaur. There can be some positives taken from the United side of this result; at least Jonny Evans will never play again as long as Fergy is alive. That is a definite and singular sign of comfort for the Red Devils moving forward from Sunday's nightmare.
But as our own Sophie Nicolaou so deftly pointed out on today's show...what is a more intimidating, scary, and powerful force: An all smiles Manchester City squad firing on every tactical and technical cylinder, or a wounded and humiliated United squad, disciplined and motivated by a Napoleon-esque leader with Bowser like rage, who is slowly piecing together his team's retribution? The spectacle of a United side with anger and pride serving as their engine, is something to be truly reckoned with. In response Robert Burns dispels Sophie's suggestions that Sir Alex Ferguson is "obsessed" with Champions League glory, especially at the expense of Barcelona, and that he is treating United's domestic campaign as a side show. Will City and their lengthy payroll be ready for this force of Scottish nature? Only time will tell... 6 months to be exact...when these two sides meet again in April at the Etihad. And by that time the true contenders for Premiership glory will be much more clear and established by then. But if things stay the way they are, silverware contention will be left for the taking by one of two Manchester clubs, whose coupled success thus far has defined the MPL, I mean, the EPL season.
The drama, excitement, and power shift of the Manchester Derby and the other countless, tantalizing nuances of world football await you on our October 24th braodcast. As Arsenal handily beat Stoke, and United are still lying in a fetal position from the weekend's result...the juxtaposition of Sophie's glee and Robert's depression could cause for more excitement and fireworks than the Derby itself. Check out our
show to catch it all. Godspeed friends. Until next time......
Your friend and teammate,
Luke Van Patten
World Football Daily
