Manchester United will play their local rivals, Manchester City, at the Etihad Stadium today in front of 53,000 fans and over 650 million viewers worldwide.
According to The New York Times, today’s Manchester derby might be the most anticipated match in Premier League history.
So what’s with all of the hype?
Unlike the Champions League final, which will be watched by less people than today’s fixture, the Manchester derby will technically not settle anything.
With United three points ahead in the table, a loss to City would put the clubs on level footing with two games left in the season.
However, it seems the tides are turning. The Red Devils are swimming in debt and City has spent over $1 billion in player transfer alone since the recent acquisitions of the club by Sheikh Mansour.
Since the 1960’s, Manchester United have dominated their cross-town counterparts.
City fans have witnessed far too many humiliating defeats over the past three decades. With a premium placed on derby matches in the world of soccer, United fans have had bragging rights for some time.
“Going in to work next Tuesday morning will be the most important day of their lives, for both sets of supporters,” Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson said.
While the influx of money has helped City compete with the giants of Europe, cash alone won’t secure glory for their fans.
UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, will be introducing Financial Fair Play rules whereby a team cannot spend more money than it makes.
Such a regulation will significantly limit City’s ability to buy star players.
Therefore, the club has to start winning trophies now in the hopes that they can draw a larger audience, which in return would yield more profit. Time is ticking and if the club doesn’t win a major title soon, their ambitions may never be fully realized.
As Patrice Evra says in an article from The Daily Mail:
Beware. If City start winning it will be hard to stop them. We have to stop them before they start, because they can go far. That’s how a big team starts, the first trophy they win. They won the FA Cup last year and if they win the league they’ll get too much confidence. If they win the Premier League, a page is turned and it’s a revolution, and revolutions have always been about Manchester United.
To whet your appetite, here are some highlights from previous Manchester derbies.
