Oof. A tsunami of hyperbole is already buffeting all of football, and it hardly needs saying, but good grief. Tomorrow night is pretty huge. United fans I've been speaking to have been trying the usual dismissive arrogance ('It's never mattered before...') but their hearts aren't in it. I just heard the derby described as 'the biggest in living memory', which is a bit over the top, but it is a match to make the mouth water.
Now, I don't want to enrage the football gods, so I'm not going to make any definite predictions, but I think it's clear from how United fans and management are talking that they are worried. I've also had a few comments along the lines of 'We've thrown it away' from Reds I've spoken to - I know they've got short memories, so I'm not even going to bother taking the bait.
City have got to name an unchanged side (actually, mostly unchanged, but with Richards in for Zab) - I'm slightly worried by Mancini's hints about bringing back Super Mario, partly because I can easily see the red mist descending again, but more because Tevez and Aguero are such an exhilarating combination. Jonny Evans must be waking up sweating from night terrors of two grinning Argentines, and Rio's creaky legs will need a lot of magic sponge and WD40.
In fact, on paper I fancy us to win every key battle (attack/defence, midfield), but that's the key - will we live up to our potential? We need everyone to step up, so I think performance from people like Nasri (not enough all season), Silva (needs a winter break?) and even Yaya (it's not quite coming off for him at the moment) will make the difference.
If we can avoid getting our captain sent off for a perfectly timed challenge, and the attack do their job, I think we've got a decent chance. It is exciting though isn't it! Come on the blues!
No comments:
Post a Comment