It has been a good start for several teams to this 2011-2012 Premier League season: Stoke, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle United all have multiple wins under their respective belts. But no two teams have come out flying at a faster pace than the two squads from Manchester. Both City and United have enjoyed lots of goals and wins to make this an early two-horse race for the title.
Because the home stadiums of these two teams lie a mere four miles apart, the Manchester derby has always been heavily contested. There is a long and storied history of the meetings between the two, and recent years have done nothing to take away from this. As much as United have been at the top of the league, the overall series is only just in the Red Devils’ favor.
More than just wins and losses, the crossover between the teams has added kindling to the fire of this rivalry. Recently, transfers between the teams have been almost non-existent. One move of note is the signing of Carlos Tevez by City after he had two very successful and prolific seasons at United. After Tevez helped United win the Champions and Premier Leagues, he traveled the short distance from Old Trafford to City of Manchester Stadium in what was considered utter betrayal by some United fans. However, no one from the Red Army will admit that they weren’t somewhat happy when Tevez gave City troubles about wanting to transfer home to Argentina.
Another case of loyalty-switching occurred earlier in the 1900s with Sir Matt Busby. Busby played for two United rivals: City and Liverpool, but may be most well-known for how he revived United and brought them to the forefront of English soccer. Even more, after the tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster, he reassembled the team and united the Manchester faithful. The work done by Sir Busby on behalf of United must have sent daggers into the hearts of City fans, as most of them have passed on.
Since the creation of the Premier League, Manchester United have been at the top of the table almost every season. Thanks to the purchase of City by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, City have seen a flurry of spending in the last three years to bring in high profile players. Though the derby is always intense, it has not carried the implications that it does this season.
While City come out blazing every week, United seem to not only match but also surpass the efforts of those in the light blue jerseys. After City beat Tottenham 5-1 to take the top spot, United came back to beat Arsenal 8-2 later in the day. After City drew against Fulham this past weekend, United held on to beat Chelsea in their toughest, but most controversial, match to date. As you can see, this season’s race promises to bring us a new battle between two teams who have been long-time rivals because of geography; now they’ll be duking it out with more than just pride on the line.
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