When the 192nd edition of the Manchester derby between City and United takes place today (from 4 p.m. in the live ticker at Sportschau, video summary from 7:15 p.m.), it will of course also be about money. On the one hand: a club that maintains the most expensive squad ever put together in football. On the other side: Manchester City.
As is well known, the “Citizens”, financed by Sheikh Mansour from Abu Dhabi, also spent enormous sums of money to become the permanent champions in England and to win the Champions League for the first time last season.
However, it is controversial whether City used the money legally. The Premier League has charged the club with more than 100 counts of breaching financial rules. However, according to a study just published by UEFA, the club currently only has the second most expensive squad – with a total price equivalent to around 1.3 billion euros. The leader is Manchester United with a squad price of 1.4 billion euros.
Ratcliffe uses the “noisy neighbor” as a role model
United has just welcomed a new investor. The chemicals billionaire Jim Ratcliffe took over almost 28 percent of the club and secured responsibility for sporting matters. In his inaugural speech, he named Manchester City – and Liverpool FC – as role models and set the goal of eliminating the two “enemies” within three years.from her pedestal” (a famous formulation by coaching icon Sir Alex Ferguson). An ambitious task. Because in many ways what was once called “noisy neighbor“City mocked the record champions United. The Uefa investigation into squad costs provides one of the reasons for this.
There is a lot of money at both ends of Manchester, United in the west and City in the east. The difference is that City is doing more with its financial resources in terms of sport. The club has put together a broad squad of the highest quality, tailored to the requirements of coach Pep Guardiola. For example, the fact that playmaker Kevin De Bruyne had been absent for five months since the start of the season and striker Erling Haaland had been absent for two months recently was hardly noticeable. The alternatives are too good, Guardiola’s system is too well-established.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Jack Grealish celebrate together
City buys success, United only hopes in vain
Almost every player gets better under the coach, whether it’s Jack Grealish, who was bought for 100 million pounds, or Manuel Akanji, who came from Borussia Dortmund for 20 million euros. The result is success: five championships in the past six years and winning the treble last season – becoming only the second English club after Manchester United. City is currently only one point behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table and is naturally one of the favorites in the FA Cup and Champions League.
Manchester United, on the other hand, is the world champion in burning money. The enormous expenditure brings little return. The club was last champions in 2013, in the final season under Sir Alex Ferguson. The United of the present must already celebrate titles like last year’s League Cup as promises of a golden future. In the current season, the club embarrassed itself in the Champions League by finishing bottom of the group in the preliminary round and, as currently sixth in the Premier League, is in danger of missing out on qualifying for the competition again.
United have unintentionally made a specialty of spending large sums of money on players who then dramatically undercut expectations. Examples include Harry Maguire, who was the most expensive defender in the world when he moved with a transfer fee of almost 90 million euros, or Jadon Sancho, who was loaned out to his former club Borussia Dortmund after a falling out with coach Erik Ten Hag.
Coaching position as a construction site
The composition of the coaching bench contributes significantly to the discrepancy between the two Manchester clubs. Since his arrival in 2016, Pep Guardiola has established a philosophy at City according to which the club bases its transfer policy as well as the style of play in the youth teams. The trainer is also embedded in a structure that allows him to work without disruption. Managing director Ferran Soriano and sports director Txiki Begiristain are Guardiola’s confidants from his time at FC Barcelona.
United, on the other hand, have worn out four managers since Ferguson’s departure (even excluding interim solutions), none of whom have been able to get the club back on track. Erik Ten Hag, who has been in office since last season, also has a hard time with Ferguson’s legacy.
Erik ten Hag on the sidelines
The chaos on the bench illustrates the state of the club’s management. The Glazer family from the USA, which remained the majority owner even after Ratcliffe joined the club, is said to be uninterested in the club’s sporting fate. For a long time they let ex-banker Ed Woodward operate as an overwhelmed quasi-sports director. His successor Richard Arnold left at the end of last year. It is seen as a coup that the club was able to introduce Omar Berrada as its new managing director – he most recently worked for City and had a major influence on the signing of Erling Haaland from Dortmund.
“Disneyland” has left Old Trafford behind
Economic conditions in Manchester have also changed. The current edition of the “Deloitte Money League” shows a turnover of 826 million euros for City. This puts the club in second place internationally behind Real Madrid. Manchester United is fifth with a turnover of 746 million euros. The infrastructure now also speaks for the city.
The club has built a kind of Disneyland of modern football near the city center, with one of the best training centers in the world and a stadium that, among other things, has the “Tunnel Club”: a VIP restaurant with a view of the players’ tunnel. Manchester United’s Old Trafford, on the other hand, is outdated, plagued by rats and mice, and the roof leaks. Investor Ratcliffe’s many projects include building a new stadium.