The Derby – Possible line-ups and analysis

With news that some of our players are only just coming back into full training late on this week it’s difficult to be sure who exactly will start (and who might make the bench). But as accurately as possible, here’s my take on the teams that might take us into the first Pellegrini v Moyes Manchester Derby.

First of all a quick note: Due to a family bereavement of losing my father-in-law this week I have not been focusing on footy as much as I would have normally throughout a Champions League week and leading up to a Derby. It is for this reason that I didn’t do a post-Plzen write-up and am keeping this one fairly simple also.

Manchester City

4-1-4-1:

(Assuming Clichy, Richards and Silva are not going to make it)

______________Negredo______________

 

_______________Aguero_______________

Nasri___________________________Navas

_______________Toure________________

_____________Fernandinho_____________

 

Kolarov___Kompany___Nastasic___Zabaleta

 

 

_________________Hart________________

 

I’ve just got a feeling that Manuel will ask the lively (if nothing else) Fernandinho to do a man-marking job on Wayne Rooney; assuming, as I am, that Moyes will ask Wayne to sit deep as usual between Van Persie and the midfield. Similarly, I think our Manager might use Aguero slightly deeper too; making up a diamond-attacking 4 behind Negredo.

Looks solid enough (apart from a worrying left-back situation) with, affectively, a back 5 protecting us against any Manyoo threat. This also gives us plenty of creativity & pace on the wings and many goal threats of our own; allowing Yaya in particular to do more damage by being given a more attacking remit.

Of course if Silva is fit to start you can put David in Aguero’s position and I would imagine that Sergio will sit up front and Negredo will, once again, find himself on the bench. But that aside...

Bench:

Pantilimon, Lescott, Boyata, Rodwell, Milner, Jovetic, Dzeko

Them

4-4-1-1:

_______________Van Persie_______________

 

________________Rooney_________________

 

(Diving)

Young___________________________Valencia

 

____________Carrick___Fellaini_____________

 

Evra________Vidic_____Ferdinand______Jones

 

 

_________________De Gea________________

 

Bench:

Don’t know or care much…

 

The only problem I can see if these are the formations and personnel, is that with Fernandinho watching Rooney; Yaya is going to have to ‘dig in’ and help battle against Carrick and Fellaini. There is a strong argument in this game for the inclusion of Milner & Fernandinho in the middle in a 4-2-3-1, where the attacking 3 would be Nasri, Toure & Navas behind a lone striker of, probably, Aguero.

Rating out of 10…

Hart                             9

De Gea                       7

Kolarov                      4

Evra                            7

Nastasic                     8

Vidic                           8

Kompany                   9

Ferdinand                  7

Zabaleta                     9

Jones                          6

Fernandinho              6

Carrick                       6

Toure                          8

Fellaini                        7

Nasri                           7

Young                         6

Navas                         8

Valencia                     7

Aguero                       8

Rooney                       8

Negredo                     8

Van Persie                 9

Pellegrini                    7 (Good but still new to the Premier League)

Moyes                         8 (Knows how to, in the past at least, both frustrate and, indeed, beat City. Also has more Premier League / league-Derby experience with Everton)

Totals:

Manchester City:      91
Manyoo:                     86

Score?

2-1 to City.