Where The Manchester Derby Was Won And Lost

It was a Manchester derby to hide for Ruben Amorim's Manchester United, pinch conclusion astatine nan Etihad meaning nan Portuguese's Premier League grounds now sounds 8 wins from 31 matches.

But was Sunday's 3-0 loss a lawsuit of a faulty philosophy, individual mistakes, aliases an awesome capacity from Manchester City?

Here we analyse nan game, focusing connected some teams' tactics.

City focused overmuch of their play down nan left-hand broadside successful nan first half.

Blues leader Pep Guardiola aimed to utilization weaknesses successful United's protect approach, pinch an oculus connected their backmost five, 2 cardinal midfielders and nan fierce mode successful which nan wider centre-backs are asked to measurement retired to press.

The hosts' left-back - Nico O'Reilly - took a wider position connected nan touchline, aiming to tie United correct wing-back Noussair Mazraoui towards him.

Jeremy Doku - City's near winger - would ordinarily person been marked by Mazraoui, but arsenic O'Reilly took nan wide position, Doku was much central.

That gave Mazraoui nan difficult task of knowing who to prime up. His determination was to disregard Doku and alternatively take sides nan wide spaces - stepping up to property O'Reilly erstwhile nan shot went to him.

Doku's wrong position ensured City had an overload astir United's midfield.

Rodri, Phil Foden (who had dropped deeper), Doku (who had moved inside) and Tijjani Reijnders formed a container astir United's midfield duo.

It was nan aforesaid maneuver Fulham utilized against United earlier this season, erstwhile Alex Iwobi vacated his left-wing position to create an overload successful midfield.

With Doku infield, it was Leny Yoro - United's correct centre-back - who was tasked pinch pushing up aggressively connected him.

That is simply a difficult inquire for a earthy cardinal defender, particularly pinch Doku dropping arsenic heavy arsenic his ain half, and it was made much difficult arsenic Foden besides occupied those areas.

Yoro's front-footed defending made nan midfield conflict a 4 against 3 - alternatively than 4 against 2 - astatine times, but he would often retreat erstwhile City's players moved deeper arsenic he did not want to extremity up excessively acold from his backline.

By not committing wholly to backing up nan property successful a man-to-man fashion, United's property was disjointed - meaning City had a free man somewhere.

United skipper Bruno Fernandes touched connected this aft nan match, admitting his squad needed to beryllium "more brave pinch afloat pressure" to forestall nan opening goal.

"City return that consequence against america - we request to do nan same," he said.

"I was trying to property Rodri because nan purpose of nan midfielders was for 1 to jump connected Rodri, pinch 1 of nan defenders connected Foden.

"In nan first moment, I tin screen some but Leny comes up truthful I spell much connected Rodri. And Leny was going backwards because of a miscommunication and we extremity up giving excessively overmuch abstraction connected nan pitch."

A team-wide man-to-man property would guarantee easy passing options aren't disposable for nan opposition.

As Fernandes mentions, it was nan occupation of 1 of nan defenders - namely Yoro - to jump connected Foden. But nan clever positioning of O'Reilly and activity of Doku meant he was near successful 2 minds.

Foden was capable to person nan shot nether nary unit and transportation it up nan transportation - a business that was replicated later successful nan game.

City's usage of pinning was peculiarly impressive.

Pinning is nan enactment of positioning a subordinate successful a definite area pinch nan consequence an force besides has to enactment there.

If a winger stands connected nan touchline adjacent to nan guidance full-back, for example, nan defender is improbable to time off that area arsenic nan attacker would beryllium free. The winger has, therefore, 'pinned' nan full-back.

City utilized pinning passim Sunday's crippled to make United's fierce defending strategies weaker, and to unfastened up abstraction for their attackers.

We've already spoken astir really O'Reilly pinned Mazraoui to nan touchline, leaving Doku free to move wrong without being followed.

On nan different flank, we saw clever activity from Reijnders connected to Luke Shaw that prevented him from leaving nan backmost five. As a result, Doku's unorthodox positioning - having vacated his flank - allowed him to prime up nan shot unopposed.

Amorim asks his wide centre-backs to measurement retired and use unit to nan other guidance subordinate if United are outnumbered successful midfield, but pinch Shaw stuck pinch Reijnders, City had Doku free.

Given time, Doku was capable to move and thrust pinch nan shot and provided nan assistance for nan first goal.

For City's first goal, Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte were backmost successful protect positions, but nan hosts were capable to prime up nan loose shot successful nan punishment area uncontested.

Late runs into nan container had already resulted successful goals against United this season, pinch Fulham's Emile Smith Rowe scoring successful that mode past month. For some that extremity and Foden's connected Sunday, Fernandes grounded to way nan midfield run.

Fernandes plays successful midfield for Amorim for his engine, industry, nonstop passing and expertise to move play. As a people attacking midfielder, his comparative strengths don't see protect consciousness and search precocious runs.

Should he do amended here? Probably. But it raises a bigger mobility arsenic to whether United person platformed their individuals according to their strengths, while minimising their weaknesses.

Comparatively, Guardiola's usage of Foden - arsenic personification who is tin of well-timed runs into nan container - down Erling Haaland was an intelligent prime that paid off.

After nan match, overmuch of nan statement was focused connected whether United's struggles are down to unit aliases nan system.

Better unit ever improves capacity but United's struggles this play person besides been down to their building and nan roles players person been asked to perform.

With amended individuals, possibly United's wide centre-backs would property man to man precocious up nan pitch. But sloppy of who plays, opponents would still beryllium capable to create midfield overloads by utilizing nan aforesaid rotations pinch which City and Fulham person recovered success.

If teams are uncovering circumstantial ways to unpick a system, a head failing to nullify that will interest fans.

Amorim, however, appears to beryllium doubling down connected his system.

Speaking aft Sunday's game, he said: "When I want to alteration my philosophy, I will change. If not, you person to alteration nan man."

But United's squad will not alteration earlier nan January transportation window, truthful nullifying nan supra issues whitethorn request an adjustment to nan strategy aliases players' roles.

Not for nan first time, Guardiola showed connected Sunday he has a willingness to accommodate his strategy to maximise his players' strengths and minimise their weaknesses.

His usage of caller goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma appeared to bespeak they whitethorn adopt a much nonstop attack erstwhile building from nan back.

That is possibly thing astir whitethorn not subordinate pinch a Guardiola broadside but shows a head tin support their wide accuracy while adapting a strategy to suit their players.