Man Utd vs Man City: The two decisions Erik ten Hag may need to repeat for FA Cup glory

The Manchester United manager has already beaten Manchester City and opting for the same approach on Saturday could determine the outcome at Wembley.
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Deep down, even the most optimistic Manchester United may have to suppress a few pre-match jitters ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final.

This is, after all, a Manchester City side who have easily swept aside Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the last two months, won 12 in a row to wrap up another Premier League crown, and put together a 25-game unbeaten run in all competitions prior to losing that irrelevant game against Brentford on the final weekend of the season. They also have a 52-goal striker who will pounce on even the slightest United hiccup at Wembley.

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That’s before considering the treble dimension to this final, and City overcoming United in the penultimate act of the season would be a sickening way for the Red Devils to potentially forfeit an accolade they’ve held for nearly 25 years, as the only side to win the league, FA Cup and Champions League in a single campaign.

Yet the outlook doesn’t necessarily have to be so bleak for United supporters, who witnessed their side triumph over Pep Guardiola’s men just a few months ago. Indeed, certain aspects of that game could offer the perfect blueprint for Ten Hag to come away with another famous win this weekend.

Admittedly, City were out of sorts in the January victory and the Red Devils know if their rivals play at their fluid best on Saturday, then any attempts to stop them could be futile. But in that 2-1 victory against the champions, United limited City to just one shot on target, through a mixture of organised defending and intense pressing. Key to that was the decision to start Fred in the middle, with the 30-year-old repeatedly harassing City’s midfielders when they got on the ball.

For all his faults in possession, Fred’s tenacity, relentless work ethic, and selfless running can combine spectacularly at times, and it’s why there’s some belief Ten Hag will keep him on board next season. But starting United’s no.17 would most likely result in Christian Eriksen dropping out of the starting XI - a particularly harsh prospect for a player who has lost the last three finals he’s been involved in and sat out the EFL Cup win in February through injury.

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Eriksen has enjoyed an impressive debut season at Old Trafford, and his partnership with Casemiro was pivotal to the team’s upswing in form over the spring months. Yet, the Dane lacks Fred’s capabilities out of possession, and the latter has double the number of interceptions and tackles in the league this season compared to Eriksen, despite playing 1249 minutes to Eriksen’s tally of over 2000. Fred also has 38 blocks to Eriksen’s 23 and boasts a tackle percentage of nearly 40, while the ex-Tottenham Hotspur man’s is at a shade over 30 percent.

In the semi-final against the possession-based Brighton & Hove Albion, United were notably better after Fred replaced Eriksen around the hour mark, and there’s no denying the Red Devils are a more energetic side when the Brazilian is on the pitch, as was demonstrated when they last played City. Eriksen played in a no.10 role that afternoon, with Bruno Fernandes starting out wide, before moving inside in the second half.

In that January victory, United also created the majority of their chances from rapid breakaways. Twice in the first half, Marcus Rashford got in behind the City backline, only for his shots to be cleared off the line by Manuel Akanji and then saved by Ederson on the stroke of half-time.

Rashford’s runs continued to cause City problems after the break, albeit they came from a central role following the substitution of the injured Anthony Martial. It was from a dart beyond the last defender that United scored their first goal in the latest derby, with the offside Rashford controversially leaving the ball for Fernandes. Just four minutes later, Alejandro Garnacho, who had replaced Eriksen, flew down the left wing from a United counter attack and squared the ball to a waiting Rashford in the middle.

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On Saturday, with Martial once again injured and Antony expected to miss out, Ten Hag may again opt for a similar set-up, with Jadon Sancho on the right, Fernandes playing centrally and Garnacho out left, behind Rashford - three quarters of the attack that overcame City just over four months ago.

Garnacho may prove to be the biggest dilemma for Ten Hag ahead of Saturday, and the teenager, who has started just once since mid-March due to an ankle injury, hasn’t always impressed when selected from the off. There remain questions surrounding the ferocious winger’s composure, and the cup final will be the biggest stage that Garnacho has so far experienced in his fledgling career.

His cameo against City showcased just why United fans are so optimistic about the Argentinian’s future, and a match-winning display to stop Guardiola’s side claiming the treble would cement Garnacho’s status in United folklore.

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