With the Manchester Derby taking place this weekend, a few months ago nobody would have envisaged United going into the game leading their cross city rivals.
Louis Van Gaal has started to show United fans that he is the right man to push this side forward, with them now sitting one place above their local rivals City and after Monday night’s defeat to Crystal Palace it’s fair to say to that the title is well out of reach for City after falling nine points behind Chelsea with the leaders having a game in hand.
On January 1st, Man City were second in the table on goal difference after initially being 8 points a drift. But after clawing their way back into the title race, a run of four wins out of there last fourteen in all competitions has seen their season fall apart.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini has come under heavy scrutiny in recent weeks after being eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League. Their league form has dipped with disappointing results against Hull, Liverpool, Burnley and Crystal Palace, making people wonder whether it was just a fluke that City won the league last season.
Their’s no question that City possess one of the most expensive squads in Europe with the likes of Aguero, Silva, Nasri & co all costing big money but it appears that the team is in desperate need of a revamp, with youth and exuberance needed to compliment the experience of the bigger stars at City.
Summer signings Fernando and Mangala have struggled to come to terms with the demands of the Premier League while Fernandinho and Yaya Toure have been out of sorts this campaign. Toure was arguably City’s most important player last year but he hasn’t been able to replicate that form. Vincent Kompany’s form has dipped with him struggling to find a partner to compliment his ability with Demichelis and Mangala both being rotated which will only unsettle any defence.
So will the derby determine Pellegrini’s fate?
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