Why It's Time For United To Change The Narrative

Ever since Manchester City started stringing a run of victories together, even as early as their late, late winner at Bournemouth in August, there has been a fear that other clubs would start acting too deferentially towards the Premier League leaders.

We'd seen suggestions the Blues would go the whole season unbeaten early into the 2016/17 campaign, only for Pep Guardiola's team to end up empty handed when the silverware was given out, and much of the hype is, of course, no fault of their own. The loss at Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek was a first of this term and, probably rightly so, has been largely dismissed because of the much changed line-up.

I heard one radio phone-in asking not only would City match Arsenal's Invincibles season domestically but would they also land the Treble and become the first team to score 10 goals in a Premier League game. Remarkably, the consensus seemed to be yes, on all three counts.

To their credit, the wins have kept coming domestically. With them, the anxiety increases that some sides are beaten before even kicking off against a team being heralded as the best ever in some quarters, opting for damage limitation. While it seems unlikely professional players would feel like this, it does seem the case among supporters, if social media is anything to go by.

There often appears to be a dread City will run riot, embarrassing their favourites, but the reality is recent matches against Huddersfield Town, Southampton and West Ham United have been far from routine for the table-toppers. In any case, conceding the title at this early stage is simply something that should never happen, regardless of how impressive anybody is playing.

United fans may have been a little deflated by the Blues' late winners recently but one thing's for certain, there won't be the same attitude displayed towards our neighbours as the one growing among rival Premier League supporters. This is derby day and no time for polite applause for the visitors, no appreciation of their version of the beautiful game, nor certainly any reference to who might be in your fantasy team, and surely no fear factor either.

There are precedents to games like this. Of course, it was United who ended those Arsenal Invincibles' unbeaten league run at 49 games. It was made sweeter by the revelation the Gunners had '50-match' T-shirts underneath their jerseys and the defeat, to goals by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney, on his 19th birthday, still grates with the Londoners. In 2005, Chelsea, managed by a certain Mr Mourinho at the time, had a 40-match unbeaten run halted by Darren Fletcher's looping header.

Everybody who was there to witness those games will remember them fondly. Hence, those heading to Old Trafford with the hottest ticket in town should not be fearing the worst. The ground has rightly become a fortress, the 40-game unbeaten run is proof of that, and Mourinho is just the man to mastermind another famous victory. Man for man, the players in Red are more than a match for their rivals, despite what some people might believe.

This will be the toughest examination yet for City - as it should be. The home crowd must be fired up for the occasion and willing to make Old Trafford a cauldron of noise, anticipating a special match and the chance to put one over our neighbours. Perhaps it is not in Guardiola's make-up to approach it with a sense that a draw would clearly be a good result for City. Yet that might only play into United's hands as the Reds are not a team to be taken lightly.

Yes, City were the last team to beat us at home - when the decision not to award a clear penalty [and red card] for Claudio Bravo's tackle on Rooney still rankles. At the time, the response was clear from all and sundry - the Blues were certain to go on to win the title. It turned out it wasn't a formality then and it isn't in 2017/18 yet either. It's time everybody started realising that, and it is up to United to begin changing this narrative on Sunday.

Barring Everton, the other Premier League sides have failed to stop City in their tracks. Now it is in our own hands and this is the perfect opportunity for Jose's men to close the gap at the top. A victory on the day could also strike a psychological blow and dent any current feelings of superiority. It really is all to play for.

The opinions in this story are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.

Credit: Manutd.com