Sometimes you have to wonder if the draws for the Europa League, FA Cup, EFL Cup etc. are on the up and up. How often we get to to say this! It’s just too perfect; too good for the powers that be. Liverpool drawing Manchester United and then Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League last season; or United drawing City today in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
How convenient so many of these match-ups are, for the cause of generating TV ratings.
Yes, United will take on City in a rematch of the most hyped Manchester Derby in history on September 10th. It was shown in 190 countries. United midfielder Ander Herrera is fired up about the rematch.
He said: “We can show again what we want to do. Two weeks ago we were very disappointed, because we lost in front of our fans against our city opponents.”
“Now we have a chance to play against them, and I am sure it will be different.”
He thinks they’ll get revenge this time.
“Our fans are always behind us. Even tonight, in midweek against a League One team, they were there for us, so we have no doubt,” Herrera continued.
“If we want to win the competition, we will have to beat the best teams.”
“But after a terrible week we can now face [a home game against champions] Leicester in a better way. It’s not easy for us to play games like this, but we dominated the second half.”
Of course, Herrera’s boasting, with City as the target, has been proven wrong before. Last season he said that the red side of Manchester had the better team, and also claimed that United would end up finishing higher than the blue side of Manchester. SO much for that. City finished fourth; United finished fifth.
The Red Devils strongest position is the midfield. Last season, there were times when Ander Herrera was the team’s best midfielder, but this year there is some newly added, big money talent around him.
The regime change from Louis van Gaal to Jose Mourinho has seen Ander Herrera move to a new deeper role.
In advance of the Europa League loss at Feyenoord Rotterdam, Herrera said: “I can make mistakes because I am human but what I am not going to do is give up. Never. I try to share my energy with the team, to win the ball back as quick as possible.
“I will keep doing the same the the manager wants me to play. I am a team player and I am ready. I will do what the manager asks me.”
Ander Herrera came on in the second half of the Manchester derby, and although it was too little, too late to gain a result, his appearance helped make for a much improved second half against the Citizens.
Herrera on what Mourinho told his team after the loss to the Sky Blues in order to boost morale: “All I can say is that he has shown us his confidence. He believes in us.
“They were better than us in the first half, we have to accept that, no excuses. But next time we face a team like Man City, who like to play from their keeper, we will do it better. You have to learn from every situation.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.