Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello and welcome to the Sky Sports Football Weekend Preview.
Chapter 2: What is the significance of the Manchester Derby this weekend?
Manchester United and Manchester City collide at Old Trafford on Sunday and we're taking an in-depth look at the Manchester derby on today's show. I'm Peter Smith, the Sky Sports Football Features Editor. I'm joined by features writer Nick Wright. Hello. And football journalist Charlotte Marsh.
Hi.
How are you doing guys?
Yeah, good. Look forward to the derby this weekend.
Yeah, one derby to another for Man Utd, isn't it? After knocking Wayne Rooney's derby out of the FA Cup. Nice line, yeah.
He scored a few tasty goals in Manchester derbies, didn't he, Wayne Rooney? Hopefully we see something like that this weekend.
Yeah, that overhead kick in 2011. Best Premier League goal you've seen? Not for me. No? No.
I'd always go for Bergkamp. Would you?
Against Newcastle?
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Chapter 3: How are Manchester United performing ahead of the derby?
Jamie, you were at Wembley last week to see them win the League Cup for a third year in a row. And obviously they knocked out Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup. So, more silverware perhaps on the way for them this season. Do you think we undervalue how many trophies they've racked up over the last couple of years?
Yeah, maybe. Maybe, Peter. I think they're... I think I said the other day, I mean, they're such a great side to watch. I think Guardiola's done an amazing job. Brilliant players. And to maintain that attitude and that mindset. And yeah, look, they are 22 points behind a Liverpool side that have been absolutely phenomenal this season. But I watch them and I find them a joy to watch.
They're magnificent on the ball. They work hard. They press teams well. Very rarely do they let themselves down. And if it is because they maybe try to overpass at times because the game gets so easy for them. So this is going to be a fantastic football match. I think that the problem that City may have is Kevin De Bruyne is not fit, although I think he might be.
I've just got that feeling with his shoulder injury. Remember, they rested him in midweek. But, you know, you want to see De Bruyne against Fernandes. That's going to be, I think that's going to be one to certainly watch.
Yeah, is that the key area, do you think, midfield for which way this one goes?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if you look at how United are playing, I was at the League Cup game earlier in the season, the Carabao Cup game when, you know, Manchester City obviously lost that one. But even the League game when City were, I wouldn't say outclassed by United, but United were extremely dangerous on the paces, you know, with Martial and Rashford obviously played that day.
I think Lingard played as well. They were very, very dangerous on the counter-attack.
So at home it's different because you've got to get after this City side and you've got to set the tempo because you're the home team because the crowd obviously want that to happen and that makes it dangerous because City can hit you on the counter-attack and the pace whether he goes to Aguero or Jesus because Jesus away from home has been fantastic.
His record's as good as anybody's and certainly in the Leicester game in their last away game when they were struggling to unlock the door he came on and gave them a bit of pace and and something different. So, you know, who knows? He might actually sort of change it up a little bit.
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Chapter 4: What impact has Bruno Fernandes had on Manchester United's success?
How are Manchester United shaping up for this one after their FA Cup win at Derby on Thursday night? Sky Sports News reporter James Cooper joins us now to tell us. James, how are you?
Yeah, good. I think probably not as good as Oli is at the moment. I think he's pleased with the way things are shaping up and the momentum that his side are managing to get. That's nine games unbeaten, six wins, three draws, two goals conceded. And when you think about how he started his time at Manchester United when he first came over,
That was unbeaten in XI, so he's getting towards those sort of heady heights and things very, very different to what they were before Christmas.
Yeah, it's starting to click now, isn't it? Yeah, so that win on Thursday evening at Derby, a couple of goals for Igalo as well. But it also sounds like Maguire, who obviously didn't play in that game, sounds like he's touch and go for Sunday. So a bit of a knock on the team news side, though.
Yeah, I think it's a difficult one. I think, you know, last night they knew, I think, that they could win the game without Harry Maguire. Would they have liked to have him there? Yeah, I think they would as well. But, you know, I think they're going to wrap him in cotton wool and try and bring him into the derby on Sunday. I mean, they've still got, you know, time to get him fit.
He rolled his ankle. I've got to say, you know, I watched a lot of that training session where he rolled his ankle. The players were in high spirits. You know, it wasn't just something that they put on for the cameras. It was a feeling that this is a togetherness, a belief. that's being fostered by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Now, I'm not saying, you know, that they are the finished article in terms of that. They're not. But they're getting on the right sort of track and moving in the right direction. I think team-wise, I think they'd love to have Aaron Wan-Bissaka back. I think Dan James is an interesting one. He is a doubt, but he has played an awful lot of football.
You know, bearing in mind this is kind of second full season in football, he's been playing that, you know, as part of the Manchester United team for a long time and been under pressure. So I don't think it's a bad thing, maybe, that he sits it out, if indeed he does sit it out. And you've mentioned Igalo there. Martial, I think, would play on the left, Igalo down the middle.
And I think what Igalo does, and I had a chat with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Wednesday, he talked about his shark-like instincts. That's what he wants from Martial. That's what he wants from Rashford and Greenwood, someone who's a predator in the six-yard box. And last night, he fashioned those chances really, really well.
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Chapter 5: How have Manchester City's recent performances shaped their approach?
Well, this is starting to shape up. Bruno Fernandes might be someone I want to play with. There might be other big signings coming in in the summer. And of course, if he still wants to leave Manchester United, well, he's got to have a canvas to do that on. He's got to get to the Euros and play for France. At the moment, he's not playing for Manchester United.
So I think, at the moment, I don't think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been in a stronger position bearing in mind the kind of performances he's getting from his players and the feeling around the camp right now.
Absolutely. Well, It's come at a good time for him, certainly, because they are entering a key period now, James, aren't they? Amid their Europa League quarter-finals, they've got Man City, Spurs and Sheffield United as their next three games in the Premier League. Pressure is on, but they must be quite optimistic given their current form.
Yeah, I think they are. I think, you know, this is a tricky week in the sense it's three games in three competitions and Spurs on the Sunday. You know, last night at Pride Park they made a statement the first 20 minutes wasn't great, but then neither side was great, but It was professional last night and they dispatched Derby and there wasn't much kind of conjecture about that.
It wasn't a banana skin after all. And I think, you know, you're right. And only after the games spoke about these two fixtures coming up in the Premier League, City and Spurs, he talks about winning them. And I think that's the change here. I think in the past few games against Manchester City, certainly this season, it's been almost spoiling their party, trying to put a stick in their spokes.
And I think, you know, there's an argument to say the way that Manchester United are going about things with their results... bearing in mind they are unbeaten in nine, they might even be the form team going into this derby. So that changed the complexion of it. But I think what makes life more difficult is that they seem to have found a way of winning at the Etihad.
They did that, of course, in the League Cup. They did it in the Premier League with probably their best first half performance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. What they've struggled to do is win the Old Traff against Manchester City. I think it's one win in the last eight meetings in the Premier League at Old Trafford. And, you know, I think they've lost their last three. Certainly Pep's won
three in the Premier League. And you think, you know, you go back to 2011, the season when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left Old Trafford, well, there was a ticker there that said that Manchester City hadn't won a trophy in 35 years. It ticked on, ticked on, ticked on. In less than 10 years, things have changed very much.
And I think Pep Guardiola will probably look at that and think, we can get about Manchester United. We can find and expose the spaces. I think what we have here is probably all the ingredients for a really, really good derby. And last night, One of my colleagues was trying to get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to say it would be a classic. He laughed and said, yeah, we're in for a classic game perhaps.
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Chapter 6: What are the key injuries affecting both Manchester teams?
I think the big factor in there is Bruno Fernandes, isn't it? He's made such a difference in that midfield. He's really the kind of player that they've been lacking and he's definitely improved the guys around him. I said that last week on this podcast. He's obviously...
It's been huge for them in an attacking sense in particular, giving them things they just didn't have before in terms of his passing, his creativity and his risk-taking. I think the midfield battle will be really interesting on Sunday, especially if De Bruyne is out. That's kind of an interesting one, isn't it? Man United have Scott McTominay back.
looks like he's still kind of regaining his sharpness hasn't been maybe as good as he was before the injury just yet and I think Fred is worth the mention as well there's a good piece by him by Adam Bates sorry on him on the Sky Sports website today I mean I would say with Fred you know he obviously has improved but we are talking about a 52 million pound player here aren't we it's kind of the least we expect from him what he's producing now but no he has improved a lot and he's getting more opportunities to get forward which obviously suits him I think his passing can still be a bit sloppy at times I think there are definitely areas
He still needs to improve, but he's looking a lot better. Not 52 million good, I would say, but he's certainly looking a lot better than he was, and that's great for United. But I think for any midfielder at United, you couldn't really ask for a better mentor than Michael Carrick, could you, on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's coaching staff?
And maybe we are seeing the fruits of that work now with Fred and with some of the others as well. So, no, it looks positive for them. And obviously they've got Igalo, up front as well, which you talked about with James Cooper as well. I mean, I think both those goals he scored last night against Derby were kind of perfect examples of why he was signed, really.
You know, he's in exactly the right area to receive those passes, you know, in between the width of the posts, about 12 yards out. And the finishes are really clinical. You know, it's not exactly rocket science, is it? But it's kind of what United didn't have before. You know, Solskjaer's talked so many times about
them needing to score the kind of ugly goals, the tap-ins, the poachers' efforts, and that's what Igalo has brought to them. So, no, I think that's positive. I think he looked a little bit kind of heavy, maybe a little bit out of shape when he first arrived, but they seem to have whipped him into shape very quickly, and he's looking like a good option now.
Yeah, so plenty of reasons for optimism for Man Utd down ahead of this one. Well, you can watch Man Utd versus Man City live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4 o'clock on Sunday, and it kicks off at 4.30. OK, next up, we'll be getting the latest from Man City, and Phil Foden might get a mention as well.
Welcome back to part three of this Sky Sports weekend preview special on the Manchester Derby. In the final part of this show we're going to take a closer look at the visitors, Man City, and who better to fill us in on how they're shaping up than Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom. Ben, how you doing?
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