Disappointing. This fixture used to be filled with venom when the likes of Haangeland, Keane, Butt, Wright-Phillips and Barton were in their hey-day. Crazy tackles, sending offs, baying crowds were the norm. Fixtures last year were a little better although much of the attention was on how much respect the City fans would accord the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash. More forgetful was City completing the double over United last season. At least the favour was returned this year.
The talk before the game was dominated by Tevez's interview given to News of the World. He apparently does not feel part of the Fergie family and has made up his mind to quit the club. It is also of course dependent on David Gill not offering Tevez the deal so it amounts to being let go more than quitting. Whether the interview was real or not, Tevez came out with a point to prove.
The game started off very lackadaisically. It didn't come across as a derby and the intensity was lacking throughout the game. The breakthrough came as Berbatov was fouled some 25 yards out. Ronaldo took his trademark freekick and a slight deflection off the wall wrong-footed Shay Given. One has to say that Ronaldo must be the best long shot taker in the game today. Enough people have written about his technique and that others should adopt it but the hardest thing to replicate is keeping the ball sufficiently low. Try kicking the ball through the laces and watch it launch up skywards. Its an absolute work of art everytime he whacks it on target whether from a freekick or from open play. Powerful swerving shots from distance on target have the added advantage, as today, of striking some luckless defender and making a fool of the keeper. It differentiates him crucially from Messi. Each shot comes with a large element of surprise even though they it shouldn't given how many he takes. When Ronaldo does move, this season or the next, it will be sorely missed to crack open games.
City displayed none of the fight of their manager once the goal was scored. The team virtually surrendered. Fletcher and Giggs ran the midfield competently and the defenders were rarely troubled. Tevez was running riot up front being released multiple times by Berbatov. He cut in from the left at one point and let loose a curling shot reminiscent of Pires. It struck the upright and was hailed as a sign of Tevez's quality and his fight to prove something. Goals prove more than hitting the woodwork. Tevez knows that and showed it. Fletcher kicked a ball in the rough direction of Berbatov who seduced everyone yet again with his touch. The ball hit his in-step, died at his feet, he twirled and found Tevez 20 yards out. Another pair of touches later, the ball was in courtesy of the bar. A great goal and Tevez had proved himself. Won't win him any contracts at United but good stuff. He almost got another trying for an open header. To score it he would have had to risk breaking his skull. That may have won him the contract.
The second half was a staid affair. Ronaldo was taken off after 60 minutes and acted once again like a 3 year old, throwing away the tracksuit offered to him. A player who may have had such a reaction was Rooney who was left out of the starting line up. Here was a man who knows what a derby is and came on with the vigour of the legend who's shirt he now wears, the same man who stood in the opposing dug-out, Mark Hughes. Good to know such belief translates across generations. Rooney made a couple of rough challenges and should have been booked but he's come out of it okay.
A word on Rafael. Piss poor defender. Rash tackles, missing players that run at him. The primary duty of a right back is to defend. If he cannot do that then he is in the wrong position. He could do well as a right winger but frankly I prefer Danny Simpson in terms of defensive ability. Vidic gave him a right rollicking after yet another defensive mishap. With such fabulous defensive stalwarts in the squad, the twins need to be learning more about reading the game than step-overs from Ronaldo.
All in all a quiet game but immensely satisfying. Scoring only 2 goals doesn't help the goal difference chase against Liverpool but the three points go a long way. Four more needed now from 3 games. Any bets the title won't end up at Old Trafford?
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