You probably wouldn’t be able to guess how many days I’ve spent trying to come up with an idea that is good enough for MY FIRST ARTICLE on this website. Well, hours and hours went by and I just couldn’t make up my mind. I wanted something interesting, something that absolutely screams: “The Offside Opinions rocks!”. For about a month, I oscillated between subjects like Bayern’s amazing season or Liverpool’s inexplicable downfall. And then, right when I needed it the most, I turned the TV on and started watching a match.
The Manchester Derby. One of the most awaited games of the Premier League season. Every journalist made a prediction and most of them, if not all, didn’t get it right. I mean, who would have guessed that the same Manchester United team that had three draws in four games, before appointing Michael Carrick as interim manager, could win over a seemingly recovering Manchester City?
At the beginning of the year, United fired Ruben Amorim. The team wasn’t going well at all. When everyone thought that the Old Trafford group were going slightly better and could enter the top four of the Premier League table, an awful draw series happened and that was the last and fatal hit for Amorim. But it wasn’t just that. His United really failed the eye test. Players like Casemiro weren’t even running anymore and that hurt their hopes for a better placement in the standings. Let alone Kobbie Mainoo who, for no reason, played just 380 minutes this season under Amorim. And look at how he performed last game: he was stellar.
It came as a surprise to everyone I think, but you’ve got to admit it, in last weekend’s Manchester Derby, the Old Trafford side played better than we’ve seen them do it in a long time. The players finally showed the ambition. The motivation that they lacked under Amorim flourished under Michael Carrick. Fine, I might exaggerate a bit, it’s only been one game, but I have noticed a crucial difference. No matter the minute, Man United’s players were running, trying to pass (and successfully doing so), trying to keep the ball and to win physical duels (that’s today’s Premier League, a fancy combination between a UFC match and a 10k race). That really made a difference.
On the other side you have Manchester City. After the previous season, a complete disappointment for Pep Guardiola’s team, we are seeing them again in the race for the Premier League trophy. But can they still win it? There is a seven -point difference between them and an Arsenal side that seems to be going smoothly so far. I know, I got a deja-vu too at first, but I just don’t think City is that strong yet.
I can’t say for sure, but I think that Manchester United is on the right path. No matter how weak City was last weekend, winning in a derby is an important achievement. OFFSIDE OPINION: Manchester United are going to finish top four, over Liverpool. Who knows, maybe my first offside opinion is going to become true.