Sunday afternoon sees both Manchester clubs square up in the Premier League’s top of the table battle. Just two points separate City and United, with Roberto Mancini’s side currently edging their rivals into second place. A win would, of course, take Sir Alex Ferguson’s troops back to the summit but a victory for the visitors at Old Trafford would establish a 5-point lead after nine rounds of fixtures. WhoScored analyses each of their respective seasons so far and takes a look at the crucial areas where the game may be won and lost.
Team Stats - Attack
City lead the way overall in the Premier League for goal attempts per game- 21 shots is 2 more than Tottenham, while United’s 17 is fifth in the division, just 1 more than the likes of Wolves and Queens Park Rangers. Mancini’s side also lead the way for shots on target with 8 and are top scorers in the league with 27 goals from a total of 168 shots- this means 16% of all shots are converted to goals.
United have just 1 shot less than City on target (7) and their 25 goals is second top- from a total of 136 shots, though, they’ve hit the net 18% of the time, suggesting they are more clinical when it comes to finishing. There is little between the two when it comes to successful dribbles per game, with United joint-top with Wigan on 10- City are just 1 behind, an indication of their more attack-minded approach this term. City have also had a superior possession rate- 59% per game is second only to Chelsea, with United’s 56% the same as Swansea.
Team Stats - Defence
The discrepancy in the number of shots conceded is substantial here. While City’s solidity is highlighted by just 11 shots conceded per game (second to Chelsea’s 10), United’s open, attacking play allows an average of 18 shots per game against them- joint-worst in the Premier League, and on a par with Bolton Wanderers.
Bizarrely, though, both sides have conceded the same number of goals (6), an indication of just how important David De Gea has been for the champions this season already- his WhoScored rating of 7.43, compared to Joe Hart’s 6.76, demonstrates just how busy he has been.
Surprisingly, City’s 16 tackles and 12 interceptions are joint-bottom for both categories but their high possession percentage is clearly a contributing factor here. Their combined rate of just 28 for both categories is joint-bottom of the league, with Spurs and Bolton leading the way with 39. United’s work-rate is superior in both categories, with 19 and 15 respectively, though they make just 9 fouls per game.
City are substantially superior in the air, winning 55% of aerial duels to United’s 45% -the third bottom in the league- though the champions should welcome back Nemanja Vidic this weekend - the Serbian hasn’t played domestically since the opening day of the season.
Key Players This Season - Manchester City
Vincent Kompany
Only three players have started all eight games for City- Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany. New skipper Kompany has been a rock at the heart of the back-four, ranking comfortably higher than Lescott, his central-defensive partner, by 7.41 to 6.82 in the WhoScored ratings. Kompany has averaged 2.3 tackles and 1.9 interceptions so far, compared to Lescott’s 1.3 and 0.8 respectively- a significant difference and indicative of his importance.
He also leads the way in clearances, 5.6 to 4.8, has won 70% of aerial duels and has a brilliant 90% pass accuracy. Kompany has even had time to find the net, scoring in last week’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa.
David Silva
The little Spaniard has started all but one match so far, coming off the bench in the previous game against Villa. Silva has grabbed 2 goals and produced 5 assists in his seven starts and has been as consistent a goal threat as he has been a creator.
Averaging 2.9 shots and key passes per game, he also leads the way for successful dribbles at City, with an average 1.9 highlighting his trickery and summing up his ability on the ball. Throw in a 90% pass accuracy and it’s easy to see why the playmaker has been City’s highest rated player thus far, with a WhoScored rating of 8.14 per game, he is the second-top ranked Premier League player.
Sergio Aguero
It’s been an outstanding debut season to date for the big-money signing from Atletico Madrid. His introduction to the more physical and frenetic English domestic game has been seamless- Aguero has bagged 8 goals in six starts, making him the second-top scorer in the Premier League.
As well as being City’s top scorer, he’s also their biggest goal threat, averaging 3.6 shots per game and his creativity has seen him return a total of 2 assists from 1.3 key passes per game. Aguero has also delivered 0.9 successful dribbles and with a pass accuracy of 84%, has averaged 7.65 in the WhoScored rankings.
Key Players This Season - Man United
Phil Jones
The summer signing from Blackburn has played in every league game so far for United, with seven starts from eight. While the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have struggled with injuries, Jones has stepped up with a series of performances well beyond his 19-years that have seen him rated 7.26 in WhoScored’s ratings. His adaptability has seen him play in three separate positions already for United- centre-half, right-back and – in last week’s game at Liverpool - defensive midfield.
Jones has averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game so far at the back for United, showing a solid reading of the game that betters the likes of Rio Ferdinand in both categories. He has also made 5.8 clearances and won 50% of aerial duels but his displays going forward have been even more impressive. Jones has managed 0.9 shots –almost twice the tally of any United defender- and a fantastic 1.5 successful dribbles per game; second only to Nani.
Nani
Aside from Jones, he’s the only other player to appear in every league game for the champions. Similar to Jones, Nani has started seven games and came on as a sub in one - last week’s trip to Liverpool. The Portuguese winger seems to have upped his game since the arrival of Ashley Young, picking up 3 goals and 3 assists so far.
Nani has produced 2.8 shots per game, second only to Wayne Rooney, and has made 2.3 key passes in addition to 2.9 successful dribbles- easily the most for his side and dwarfing Young’s 0.6 in comparison. He’s also been the main supplier of successful crosses (1.5) from the wing, picking up an average match rating of 7.71 from WhoScored.
Wayne Rooney
Typically a slow starter to the season, Rooney has been fast out the traps this time round. The Premier League’s leading marksman with 9 goals to his name, he’s also the top-rated player in the WhoScored rankings, with a brilliant 8.43 per game over his seven appearances.
Not only is Rooney United’s main goal threat, he’s also their chief creator- an incredible 5.3 shots and 2.6 key passes per game sees him stand head and shoulders above any other team mate for his overall attacking threat. Rooney has also made 0.9 successful dribbles on average and picked up 4 Man of the Match awards in six starts, warming up nicely for the Old Trafford clash with both his side’s goals in the midweek Champions League win over Romanian side Otelul Galati.
It all comes down to "spirit" I guess.
Great Article, I would point out that while Manchester City are statistically superior they have had a very "easy" run of fixtures. Come Sunday, United will have played all of the clubs likely to finish in the top 6,