IT was Pep Guardiola himself who spelled it out before the game.
“United is back. I knew it. I felt it,” he said.
GettyTen Hag made brave decisions with his team selection and his players backed it up[/caption]
“United are playing now how they have played all their history.”
The last time these two teams met United were not just rabbits in the headlights but being chased by hounds.
Chased down in packs, beaten to every ball, they just could not cope as they went 4-0 down by the break at The Etihad back on October 2.
They were 6-1 down on the 64th minute and only two late Anthony Martial goals recovered some air of respectability.
Now one defeat in 19 later and on a back of nine wins on the trot this is a very different team.
Ten Hag had called for bravery.
“So what means brave?” he said.
“Always it is a way of playing, in possession, so you give each other options, scanning the right moment, taking the right decisions, go forward to where it’s possible, when defending be on the front foot, be aggressive.
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST FOOTBALL BETTING SITES IN THE UK
“That is what brave means. As a team, act with togetherness, so have the same ideas in every situation. That means bravery.”
That is exactly what United were, brave.
As was their manager in trusting his instincts to play Luke Shaw at centre-back, Fred alongside Casemiro, even using a plan to create a remarkable comeback without a centre-forward in the second-half.
Shaw looked assured alongside Raphael Varane, Fred scurried from box to box as he tried to reduce the effectiveness of Kevin de Bruyne in particular.
United’s confidence has even lead to them playing out from the back again and without the look of people exchanging a grenade with the pin out.
They looked comfortable on the ball, building plays up.
As Guardiola said: “You see it’s an active team, not just reactive… United have always been a transition team but they have good patterns, good build ups.”
This is also a team that has real belief again.
‘He is on top of his game’
Belief that on this afternoon even when they were 1-0 down and on the ropes that all was not lost.
United had looked good in the first period but given how comfortable City were after taking the lead through substitute Jack Grealish you just could not see this coming.
But this is Ten Hag’s Manchester United, a very different team than the previous incumbents post Sir Alex have been able to create.
One that doesn’t drop its head, one that never stops working, one that passes and moves with pace and precision.
Players put their bodies on the line for the team and each other.
The greatest singular example of the transformation in this team is Marcus Rashford.
Bereft of confidence, form gone, a player lost.
Now he is on top of his game.
The local lad with a derby winner, scoring in his seventh successive game.
He’s back and, Guardiola was right, United are too.
GettyRashford, a man at the top of his game, and Bruno scored the goals to seal a huge derby win[/caption] Read More