I watched the Manchester Derby with a friend this morning, and once again, Manchester City got the chocolates at home, beating the once invincible Manchester United 3-1.
They didn’t make it easy, and at half time, United were leading. But three goals in the second half is always going to be a challenge very few teams can overcome. On top of that, their two best players, Haaland and de Bruyne, were off their best.
Why are Man City so good, and how did they get up at halftime while staring down defeat?
Being at home helps. While having to travel was obviously a non-factor for the teams (the stadiums are 4 miles apart), having a boisterous fan base cheering you on does.
Self confidence works wonders as well. City are currently second in the league with only 11 games to go; that doesn’t happen by accident. They are the defending champions as well, which gives concrete evidence that they are indeed winners.
Finally, momentum is a hell of a drug. I found this graph online, and while I am not familiar with the methodology behind it (another blog post idea?!) it really does encapsulate the game.
This graph covers momentum; Man City in blue, Man United in red. As you can see, it’s very much one way traffic.
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