The Manchester derby is one of the great fixtures in the English sporting calendar.
For many, it sits alongside the Grand National, the FA Cup final, and the first day of the Lord’s Test as bastions of sport: for a few, it far surpasses them.
It doesn’t matter where either side sit in the league, it is still their biggest game of the season. The whole city is abuzz with red and blue, with excited chatter, with bitten fingernails. It is a day when Manchester looks only to Manchester, as does the world.
However, this most Mancunian of fixtures has lost quite a considerable amount of its Mancunian blood.
Franny Lee’s accusing George Best of diving or Mike Doyle telling the referee he wouldn’t leave the pitch after his red card would both have been spoken in Manchester accents: any such spats that occur this time around are just as likely to be conducted in Spanish.
United will at most include five native English speakers in their squad, while City will field only two: Joe Hart and James Milner, and even Milner is learning Spanish to fit in better.
Of those seven, only Tyler Blackett hails from Manchester, and even he is from Hulme: a City stronghold.
“Don’t get me wrong, the foreign players know Manchester United as well but being a local lad gives you extra incentive to do well,” Blackett told ManUtd.com.
Marcos Rojo will tell you (in Spanish) that he is as motivated to win this game as much as every other, but realistically he wants to get one over on Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta, long-term Buenos Aires rivals, especially after his much-storied spat with the striker at this summer’s World Cup.
Growing up as a City fan or youth player, beating United would have been pretty high up the list of priorities: growing up playing for San Lorenzo, getting one over on Huracan was probably higher on Zabaleta’s list.
Should Blackett play, he is very unlikely to come up against anyone he has ever gone to the same primary school as, or who has even heard of Hulme.
It has not been uncommon in the last 20 years for derbies not to feature a single Mancunian or Lancashire lad.
Does this detract from the spectacle of two great rivals going up against each other, or is it the fans that really make a derby something special?
Another South American, City boss Manuel Pellegrini said ahead of Sunday’s game that it was just another game in terms of points.
“We know though that it is a very special game for the supporters and we know exactly what they feel about winning or losing to Manchester United,” he said.
Argentinian United defender Rojo has played in La Plata, Moscow, and Lisbon derbies, which might pale the Manchester equivalent in comparison, but what will tell you more than anything is the tunnel: usually you might see countrymen or former club-mates slap hands, or exchange a hug and a wink.
Before the final Maine Road derby, Gary Neville refused the hand of former United star Peter Schmeichel. The message was clear – you’re on the wrong side, everything else means nothing.
In the modern tunnel, more sterile and isolated from the bedlam of the arena, players happily great each other. Only when they cross the whitewash does the heat of battle really commence, making a mockery of the respect on-field handshakes
And it’s easy to say that these footballing mercenaries are simply concentrating on the task ahead, focussing on another game, another three points, getting done the job for which they are paid a small fortune every week. Of course they’re relaxed; they get paid no matter what.
However, if the players, from overseas or otherwise, aren’t struck by the noise when they walk under that sign that reads ‘Pride in Battle’ at the mouth of the Etihad tunnel, if the passion of Manchester doesn’t move them even in the slightest, then you could hardly think that they are true warriors of football.
Main image courtesy of Puma via YouTube, with thanks.
