Manchester City won the first Manchester derby of the season, 6-3 and 22-year-old Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick and provided two assists in that game.
The youngster tore Manchester United’s defence to shreds in that tie but Rio Ferdinand believes his former side can stop him from repeating that performance if they can focus on two major things.
Firstly, the legendary England defender has advised Manchester United to try and starve Erling Haaland of opportunities by not letting the ball reach the final third.
He said, as per I News: “What he’s doing at the moment is remarkable really, breaking records. You definitely would be focusing on him and making sure you try and stop him but I think as important is [cutting off] the supply line.
“He’s very different from an Mbappe who can get the ball on the halfway line and it could be a goal because he can beat three, four, five men – Haaland’s game isn’t about that. His game is about being on the end of opportunities, being provided by others.”
Secondly, Ferdinand believes mind games can be a great ploy to rattle the Norwegian striker and stop him from concentrating.
He added: “I watched that game and saw Ben Godfrey, who I know well, actually all over him trying to get under his skin, pushing him, shoving him and kicking him.
“Within the laws of the game that’s a good ploy because you could see Erling Haaland enjoys that but you’re affecting his concentration as well. Listen, he scored a goal but he wasn’t as impactful as he has been in previous games.”
Erling Haaland is one of the best scorers that the Premier League has seen in recent times but it’s also a reality that Kevin De Bruyne is playing as his main supply line.
Erling Haaland has scored 21 goals in 16 Premier League games but that is being promptly backed by the Belgian international who has clocked up nine assists in the league so far. De Bruyne still runs the show for Manchester City and if he has a bad day then most often than not, City are not at their fluid best.
Casemiro is currently the best central defensive midfielder in the world and if the Brazilian international can break up play in the middle of the pitch then Haaland will really starve for service. McTominay started alongside Eriksen in the previous derby but this time it will be Casemiro so things will be a lot different.
Back in October, Manchester United were still taking baby steps under Erik ten Hag but since that drubbing, the Red Devils have improved in leaps and bounds. While we do not expect them to go shoulder-to-shoulder with Man City but this one will be a much more even contest, that’s for sure.
