What the papers are saying ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby

Via Mail Online:


Manchester City have been complacent and Manchester United will punish them...





JAMIE REDKNAPP: After losing to Arsenal in the FA Cup, I couldn’t see United going anywhere. Things changed at Liverpool. They gained confidence and now they aren’t just winning, they’re playing well. With City, there is a mental issue and they have lost three away games on the bounce. That’s not good enough.





MARTIN KEOWN: It looked like City had conquered this rivalry. Not anymore. When I saw them lose the Community Shield I already had my suspicions. True champions forget the past and go for the next challenge. City seemed complacent. For United, Louis van Gaal’s experiments are finally producing results. 






BRYAN ROBSON: City’s slip surprises me. The initial dip coincided with Yaya Toure going off to the Africa Cup of Nations. Prior to that City were dominating defences. United took time to settle in to Van Gaal’s ways but they’ve timed it well.



Via Manchester Evening News:


Manchester United v Man City: Di Maria's turning point and more to look out for 


Does Di Maria return?

Ashley Young's combination with Daley Blind has been influential for United recently, and the winger's return to the side sparked The Reds' five-game Premier League winning run.



Young's crossing on Saturday, though, was erratic and however maddening Angel di Maria has performed he is a reliable assister, as he proved with the cross for Wayne Rooney's half-volley.



Di Maria not only created United's winner but injected dynamism into their attack and galvanised Rooney, poor until his spectacular strike. The derby could be a turning point for the Argentine.



Will United continue their fast starts?

Bizarrely, of the last three Old Trafford derby defeats United's best performance came in the 6-1. A result skewed by Jonny Evans' slip, his red card and defensive indiscipline in the last 10 minutes, United actually began the game brightly, with Young causing Micah Richards plenty of concern.



In recent weeks, United have become more watchable thanks to their front-foot starts. They scored in the opening 10 minutes against Tottenham, the first 15 at Anfield and should have struck earlier than they did against Aston Villa.



Who starts at centre-back?

Chris Smalling's rotten luck with injuries continued as he was deprived of a start against Aston Villa to allow Marcos Rojo back into the side.



United's improved defensive record coincided with Phil Jones' return to the first-team, yet Smalling has shone at centre-back and must be desperate to atone for his derby red card in November.



Finally, Louis van Gaal has a positive defensive headache.



Via the Guardian:



Will City cope with United's middle managers?



It says much about Manchester City’s malaise that the one area the balance of power looks likely to be decided in the Manchester derby is midfield – often the territory in recent seasons where no other team has been able to touch the combination of power and panache that Yaya Touré and David Silva offered the 2012 and 2014 champions. In recent months this is the area that Louis van Gaal has finally got to grips with while Manuel Pellegrini has floundered over his malfunctioning engine room. Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and the advanced physical presence of Marouane Fellaini have proven a sturdy and no-nonsense solution to a United problem that has been talked about since Roy Keane’s departure many years ago.



While Fellaini has been rightly lauded for his ability to pluck the ball out of the air with unfathomable regularity in recent matches, his use of the ball when he has got it down on the floor has often been overlooked. He very rarely gave the ball away in a dominant display at Anfield. Herrera and Carrick have proven adept at controlling traffic deeper in midfield too. Indeed, this could prove too much for a City midfield in which Touré appears to have given up the ghost and only the prosaic presence of Fernandinho seems to be functioning. City can be among the league’s most inventive teams when things are going their way but when the chips are down the creative juices of Silva, Jesús Navas, Samir Nasri and Touré often dry up. It’s hard not to see midfield being the key battleground again – and unless City find some extra pep from Touré and co, they may end up nursing another wounding defeat on the road.



Via the Telegraph:



Man Utd news: Robin van Persie fit for Manchester derby





Robin van Persie has declared himself fit for Manchester United’s derby clash with Manchester City after returning to training today (Weds) following a seven-week ankle injury lay-off. 


The Dutch forward, who suffered the injury during the 2-1 defeat at Swansea City on February 21, has missed six games in all competitions as a result of the damage suffered to his ankle ligaments. 


But the 31-year-old has confirmed his return to full fitness by tweeting a personal update from his Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon.





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