There is no doubting that historically, Manchester United are one of the biggest and most successful soccer clubs of all time. However, since the last decade, there truly has been a shift in power, at least in Manchester. Liverpool have emerged as a dominant force once again, amassing a Champions League title and a Premier League title under manager Jurgen Klopp. City have won the league on five occasions since their inaugural back in 2012, surely looking to add a further one this season. On the other side of things, Arsenal and United have both fallen from grace, coming to the point that if either secure top 4 for this season, it will be seen as a masterclass. So what exactly has caused this huge shift in power in Manchester?
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Managers
The key to success in soccer has to be attributed to the management. At the end of the day, if a squad of stars can’t work well together, they simply won’t be successful. So does it come as a major shock to hear that once Fergie departed United, results went significantly downhill? This is a man who won the league (by some margin) in his final season with a somewhat sub-par squad. The back line consisted of aging defenders Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, while Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were still involved too. However, it must be said that Fergie did depart a United squad in need of an inevitable revamp. This is something Moyes didn’t successfully do. Whether this was a result of a lack of backing, not getting the targets he desired or something else, we can’t know for certain. United spent £64m bringing in Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini, but the problems remained as United ultimately finished 7th.
City on the other hand, changed in the other direction since breaking into the top 3 back in 2011. Ever since, City have never finished out of the top 4. Sure, the backing of City Football Group (Sheikh Mansour) gave City the financial backing to truly build and compete at the highest level, but money doesn’t guarantee success. Having brought in the right players (Aguero, Silva, Fernandinho), the management of Mancini and Pellegrini brought initial success. It was only when Pep Guardiola came, however, that City really realized their true potential. Now known as a team who dominate the ball the entire game, City are a force to be reckoned with. City have won the league 4 times in the last 5 years and only really have Liverpool as a direct competitor. City’s dominance can be seen in the 2018/19 season, where Liverpool achieved an unbelievable 97 points in the league, while City achieved 98. This genuinely shows the levels and dominance of two top sides in both Liverpool and City.
Here’s food for thought- when Leicester won the league back in 2016, they won having accumulated 81 points. The next best placed team was Arsenal on 71 points, while City and United lagged behind on 66 points.
Financial Backing
Though United fans may resent the Glazers, it’s hard to say United haven’t competed significantly in the transfer market. Where City spend £100m on Jack Grealish, United spend £73m on Sancho. United also brought in Raphael Varane, Cristiano Ronaldo, while in the past they have spent £80m on center-back Harry Maguire too. So sure, City spend big and bring in great players, but it would be wrong to say they spend more than United, and in turn have a financial advantage.
Fans
One thing that can’t be taken away from Manchester United is their incredible fan base. A stadium that is always full for any game, United fans deeply love their club. Even when there are anti-Glazer protests, the fans are quite poignant whilst displaying signs signifying #LUHG (Love United, Hate Glazer). However, City’s is another story. Look, their fan base has certainly grown as a result of success in the last decade, but the history simply isn’t there. Before 2010, City were simply an average club, which even played in the second tier of English soccer as recently as 2002. There are games where the Etihad Stadium is fairly empty- prompting rival fans to call it the ‘Emptihad’.
Though the rivalry is immense, it is hard to say that City are the ‘bigger’ club in Manchester. More successful in recent years? Sure. Do they have better players and management? Pretty much. United however still lead in terms of Premier League title wins and a decade of average performance doesn’t override the long-term success under Alex Ferguson. City have some way to go in terms of remaining consistent, but if they carry on right now without significant change at Old Trafford, City could well one day become the biggest club in Manchester.