Manchester United take on Manchester City at the Etihad stadium on Sunday. The league leaders cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture at the Old Trafford back in November. Since then, the Citizens have won 15 and lost just one of their 17 league games. United in contrast, currently sit at 4^th.  Rangnick’s men have drawn 3 and lost two of their previous 5 games. Since the appointment of the German in early December, United have only lost one game in the league.

The Red Devils have drawn 6 times and registered as many wins. The Manchester derby comes at a crucial juncture for both clubs. City have allowed Liverpool to cover ground in recent weeks, and hold just a six-point lead having played an additional game. United similarly, are in serious danger of dropping out of the top 4, with West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham snapping at their heels.

Pep Guardiola and Ralf Rangnick are both revolutionary and influential managers. Both have distinct styles of coaching and the same translates into their team’s style of play. Let us take a look at the differences between the set-ups of the Manchester rivals, and how each manager’s tactical preferences could affect the game; A Breakdown of United vs City Tactics.

Possession:

“Possession” is a word that directly comes to mind while thinking of Guardiola. The Spaniard has established his philosophy of the game that revolves around the ball successfully at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now at Manchester City. City average 68.3% possession per game, the highest for any team in the top 5 league.

United too are a team that holds onto the ball. Since Rangnick’s appointment, the Red Devils average 55.8% possession per game. The 2-2 draw against Aston Villa remains the only match where Rangnick’s side had under half the share of possession.

However, the interpretation of possession is what distinguishes Guardiola from other managers across the world. United often have more possession, simply because they have better players than their opposition. The qualitative superiority of Pogba, Matic, Bruno, Varane, Ronaldo etc. allows the Red Devils to control the ball for large portions of the game. For Guardiola, possession is a crucial tool to execute his positional game. Having the ball is an imperative part of Manchester City’s style of play. Guardiola’s emphasis to retain possession, but also retain it well, necessitates certain tactical outlays when his side have the ball:

Playing Out Of The Back:

Manchester United’s Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are all comfortable with the ball at their feet. This allows United to build out from the back. However, De Gea’s frailties on the ball, and the absence of a natural 6 are major constraints for Rangnick. As a result, the Red Devils are also more willing to play a long pass to attack faster.

The former Leipzig manager often retains his full-backs in a deeper possession for two purposes:

1. Wide outlets for progressing the ball
2. Safety measure in case possession is conceded

This naturally forces United to use the wings to a greater extent in build-up.

Guardiola emphasizes on the use of “superiorities” in each phase of the field. In the first stage of build-up, Guardiola likes to have a numerical superiority over the opposition. Goal-keeper Ederson is excellent with the ball at his feet, and acts as an extra outlet in possession. Ederson is equally effective at absorbing pressure to find a free man, or picking out a player between the lines. If the opposition presses with two forwards, City naturally have a 3v2 advantage thanks to Ederson, Laporte and Dias. If the opponents are willing to commit an additional player, City bend shape accordingly. Either Rodri can drop into space between the center-backs, or one of the full-backs tuck in with the defensive line to create a numerical advantage.

This also has an effect on how teams set up against United and City. Teams are more hesitant to press the Citizens higher up the field, and instead attempt to defend deep in their own half. Manchester United face about 23.14% of opposition pressures in their own third, on par with the league average.

Build-Up and Progression:

Some of United’s best players: Shaw, Pogba, Sancho and Ronaldo prefer to play down the left flank. Therefore, a large part of United’s attacks are conjured up on this flank. 41% of all United’s attacks arise from the right flank, tied third highest in the league.

Historically, Rangnick as a manager is very direct in possession. In his own words,

“When we have the ball, we do not like any square or back passes.”

United’s focus on the ball is fairly straightforward, to get the ball to their best players, and look for forward passing options whenever possible.

The full-backs are used to maintain width, allowing the wingers to invert. Ronaldo also does not function as a classic 9, and drops deeper or drifts wider constantly. Bruno and Pogba are allowed more freedom, to pick out weak spots in the opposition set-up.

One of City’s most notable tactical adaptations is Guardiola’s use of inverted full-backs. In possession, Guardiola utilises Cancelo and Walker in narrow roles.

This allows:

1. The wingers to remain wide and stretch out the opposition defence
2. The 8s to occupy space between the lines without sacrificing the structural integrity of the team.

City are more balanced in possession, and not particularly reliant on any flank. Guardiola switches his front-line very often, so the likes of Bernardo Silva, Sterling, Foden and Jesus are accustomed to playing on either flank or even centrally.

A famous feature in Guardiola’s system is the use of triangles to facilitate better ball positioning. Manchester City are not very rigid in positioning. The players have the freedom to swap positions with one another as long as it does not compromise the team structure. This provides the team with more variety in attack.

For example, in the above scenario, 3 players can occupy Bernardo Silva’s (#20) spot. Each of them offer a different threat from the position:

1. Mahrez (#26) is a good dribbler and can directly run at the defence to win a foul or beat his man
2. De Bruyne (#17) is an effective shooter, and can also pick out runs from his teammates behind the lines
3. Walker (#2) is a good crosser and a dangerous dribbler

Finishing:

Both teams create high volume of chances. City average the second most shots per 90 minutes, while United sit at fourth. Both teams are also slightly underperforming their xG.

However, Man City tend to create better value shots from closer to the goal as compared to their rivals.

United also have 14 different players with at least one goal to their name. Manchester City have 16 different players to have been on the scoresheet at least once.

Out Of Possession:
Both teams have very similar defensive approaches. United and City look to press the opposition defence high and offer them minimum time and space in their own half. United use a 4-2-2-2 structure.

City use a 4-4-2/4-1-3-2.

The biggest difference is arguably the intensity of the pressers. Manchester City on an average keep the ball for 60-70 minutes every game. They commit the least pressures for any team in the Premier League, but when we adjust the pressures for possession, City register a staggering 194 pressures every 90 minutes. United’s possession-adjusted pressure stats reads at 167.8 pressures per game, which is also a very impressive measure.

However, United’s front 3 of Ronaldo, Sancho and Rashford are not the hardest workers. This creates two constraints for Rangnick:

1. Opponents are easily able to bypass the first line of press.
2. United can be outnumbered in their own half as they defend with only 7 men against 8/9 of the opposition.

Overview:

Manchester United enter the derby as underdogs. Guardiola’s side are well-drilled, focused and unbeatable on their day. However, the defending champions have looked more vulnerable in recent weeks, with shaky performances against Tottenham and Everton.

United are performing well, even if the results don’t show for it. The Red Devils have been utterly dominant in games against Southampton, Burnley and Watford, but have allowed the opponent to sneak away with a point.

In what promises to be a mouth-watering clash of tactics in the United vs City derby, both Guardiola and Rangnick will look to motivate their players to the maximum, while simultaneously trying to devise how to exploit weaknesses in the opposition set-up.

Let’s dance.