3 reasons why the Manchester derby is so heated.
(Baonghean.vn) - It's no coincidence that experts have ranked this year's Manchester derby as the number one "must-watch match of the season," even more so than the El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. For the following three reasons, this match is attracting the attention and anticipation of football fans worldwide.
1. The emergence of world-class football managers.
At the same time, both Manchester United and Manchester City appointed new managers: Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford and Pep Guardiola at Etihad. To date, Mourinho has managed a total of 768 matches. In these 768 games, the Portuguese strategist has won 508 times, drawn 154, and lost only 106 times, achieving a win rate of 66%. Both veteran managers have 18 titles each.
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| Mourinho and Guardiola are long-standing rivals on the coaching bench - Photo: Internet. |
While Mourinho boasts 8 national league titles, 7 domestic league titles, 2 Champions League titles, and 1 UEFA Cup, Guardiola is equally impressive with 6 national league titles, 4 domestic league titles, 2 Champions League titles, 3 UEFA Super Cups, and 3 FIFA Club World Cup titles.
However, in terms of head-to-head record, Guardiola completely dominates the Manchester United manager. In 16 encounters with the Spanish strategist, Guardiola has won 7, drawn 6, and lost only 3.
Whoever wins this match has the right to boast, "I am the best coach in the world."
2. Ambitious and ruthless
Last year, Man City nearly dropped out of the top four, while MU missed out on Champions League qualification. This wounded the pride of the Man City owners and the fans of both colors. Furthermore, with the Premier League television rights package starting at the beginning of the season, clubs now have a hefty sum of £5.1 billion per season to spend on transfers.
A representative from market research and analysis firm Deloitte commented: "English football is not just a game on the pitch, but also a game of money at the table." Even the two relegated clubs from last season, Aston Villa and Newcastle, had transfer spending exceeding that of the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Serie A's total spending was only half that of the Premier League, at £590 million.
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| Manchester United's signings this season. |
Unsurprisingly, Man City and MU were the two biggest spenders, with a combined £338 million spent on 16 players, including £181 million from Man City and £157 million from MU. Third place went to Juventus with £138 million, followed by Chelsea (£120 million) and Barcelona (£104 million).
Coach Mourinho had already planned out his favorite players who would follow him to Old Trafford even before taking office. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola also had Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano, two of Pep's trusted associates from his time at Barcelona, to assist in his scouting efforts.
Watching the two Manchester giants spend lavishly, manager Wenger, known for his stinginess, bitterly lamented: "In Europe, there are two transfer markets: one is exclusively for England, and the other is for the rest of Europe."
Whichever team wins will have the right to pride themselves on being "smart consumers," even if they spend a fortune on player transfers.
3. A clash of records
Manchester United broke the world transfer record with a £89 million bid for Paul Pogba, while Manchester City broke the record for a "blockbuster" defender signing, John Stones, for £47.5 million. People are eagerly anticipating how the 22-year-old center-back, who recently moved from Everton to Etihad, will fare against the young talent Paul Pogba of Old Trafford.
Clearly, the Manchester owners are spending a fortune to overhaul both their management and players, not just to watch the derby. Even winning the Premier League wouldn't be enough for them; Pep is already thinking about the 2016/2017 Champions League final. But before the world sees that, they have the most anticipated match of the season at 6:30 PM (Vietnam time) on September 10, 2016, at Old Trafford.
AT(synthetic)
