United and City Share Worst Ever Manchester Derby Problem

MANCHESTER, SUNDAY — While the previous Manchester United versus Manchester City duel was very intense and dramatic, the latest derby match ended in silence without a goal. Both teams showed a similar serious problem, namely the absence of a differentiating figure in the opponent's penalty box.

The match at Old Trafford Stadium, on Sunday (6/4/2025) night WIB, was the last derby for City's veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. Sadly, he had to witness the worst derby duel in recent years. There were no special moments to remember.

The final score of 0-0 is enough to describe how “dry” the match was. “There was a lack of quality and intensity. There was no energy in the stadium. There was no derby atmosphere. This was a friendly derby,” said Roy Keane, former MU captain, as a commentator on Sky Sports.

There are conclusions for each team that are still the same thread. City proved to really miss their mainstay striker Erling Haaland who had to be absent due to a thigh injury. MU relied too much on the magic of attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

City, playing without a center forward, did dominate possession up to 58.5 percent. However, that does not mean without a "killer" figure in the penalty box. No one can replace the role of Haaland, City's most productive player in the Premier League this season (21 goals).

MU looked more dangerous with a counter-attacking transition strategy. Quick attacks from the wings, through Patrick Dorgu and Alejandro Garnacho, threatened several times. The problem was, the home team again experienced the end product problem that had occurred throughout the season.

The Red Devils’ dependence on Fernandes has reached saturation point. Since early March, the team captain has been involved in 8 of MU’s 10 goals in all competitions. Therefore, MU seemed confused when Fernandes was unable to present a magical moment in the match.

"We need that killer instinct in front of goal to score goals. When you play against City, you know they will control the ball more. That killer instinct is missing. We created a lot of chances," Fernandes said.

The problem of the sharpness of the team coached by Ruben Amorin is reflected in Opta data. MU is the third worst team in the league in terms of converting chances. They have scored only 8.8 percent of goals from a total of 418 shots. Question marks are also directed at strikers Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund.

Meanwhile, MU only managed two shots on target from 13 attempts at City's goal. The visitors were more effective, recording five shots on target from nine attempts. "We have to improve our final pass and our final shot," Amorim explained.

Due to the efficiency issue, MU failed to repeat the victory in the derby like at the Etihad Stadium last December. Fernandes and his colleagues won 2-1 with only three shots on target. They came back from behind in the last three minutes of normal time.

Apart from losing Haaland, City manager Josep Guardiola said they failed to win because they played too safe and static. "The only problem was we moved the ball too much. We had to be in the right positions (to score) and we didn't do that," he said.

City must start getting used to life without Haaland. The goal machine is likely to be out until the end of the season. Guardiola is slowly looking for a new formula in the front line. Like at Old Trafford Stadium, City played with a 4-1-2-1-2 formation. De Bruyne supported strikers Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush.

The movement of the three City players is very dynamic. Although placed as an attacking midfielder, De Bruyne often lines up with Foden and Marmoush when in possession. Foden is slightly to the right, while Marmoush is to the left. The problem is, the experiment is far from successful.

Guardiola said, will continue to adapt until the end of the season depending on the situation of the team itself and the opponent. "We will put players who have the instinct to score goals, like Omar and Phil (as attackers). We are used to that way (when Haaland is absent) for many years," he concluded.

The Manchester derby was the first to end in a goalless draw since December 2020. The previous 12 derbies were always filled with goals. (AP/REUTERS)