footballtalk

With kick off to another of Sky’s “super sundays” fast approaching, the early kick off today will be the first of the season’s Manchester Derbys.  Hughes’ dream team travel across the city to visit Old Trafford, a veritable fortress against travelling rivals.  Since the 4-1 trouncing there to arch-nemeses Liverpool in April, Utd have not looked as weak at home.  Hughes, though, has done well to point out the blatantly obvious, stating that Ferguson has greatly depleted his reds with the loss of Ronaldo and Tevez (who will visit his old stadium for the first time in a blue shirt, but will remain on the bench), and hopes to expose just how weak the team have become.

A war of words has been waged between the two managers for the past couples of months, and it will all come to a head today.  Hughes, though, made mention that for the first time since Ferguson’s arrival at Utd a lifetime ago, Man City have been provoking heated responses from the Scotsman.  This is something he takes as a compliment, as it is well known that Ferguson only indulges in arguments and mind games with his greatest rivals (and Arsene Wenger).

Ferguson does make it obvious.  He must know what the rest of us know.  In the midfield he has a force not worthy of Utd’s normal strength, with Scholes being suspended (having lasted a personal record of 5 matches without a red card), and Hargreaves out with a knee injury.  Rio Ferdinand, too, is doubtful, and Edwin Van der Sar is still sidelined with a hand injury.  

He’s got off lucky though.  With the much weakened back half of the side it would look a sure thing, but around £100 million of Hughes strikers are out, Adebayor being the latest one to go after his atrocious stamp on Arsenal’s Van Persie.  With Rooney, Owen and maybe even Berbatov as forwards available to Ferguson, Hughes will not have the luxury he may have been expecting for his first derby since the summer spending spree - he won’t be able to launch wave after wave of attack.

The fight will be won in midfield, though, and if Hughes is confident enough he will more than likely win it if he is able to bring the game to Ben Foster, Van der Sar’s replacement.  With Stephen Ireland, City’s Frank Lampard, also missing from the starting line-up, though, Utd will probably have the tactical advantage.

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