Manchester United need to pounce on Aguero-less Manchester City or risk rivals pulling away

The National's deputy sports editor, Thomas Woods, offers his thoughts on hos the Premier League season is shaping up and explains why this coming weekend could prove pivotal to the season as a whole.

The arrival of Anthony Martial, right, has made Manchester United's forward line more dynamic. Peter Powell / EPA

We’re only nine games into the Premier League season but already this coming weekend looks like being a pivotal one in the title race.

Manchester City lead Arsenal and Manchester United by two points at the top of the table in what is shaping into a three-way contest.

United host City on Sunday by which time Arsenal could already be top, if they beat Everton at home on Saturday.

This makes the Manchester derby all the more fascinating. It seems like a game United need to win more than City, whose following two games are Norwich City at home and Aston Villa away, an almost-guaranteed six points. Even if they lose to United, Manuel Pellegrini’s side would only be a point back in the title race with two relatively easy fixtures on the horizon in which to bounce back.

City have looked more like championship-winning material this season. They threatened to run away with the title early on and their main concerns at the moment are the injury absences of star players David Silva and Sergio Aguero. With those two back in the side, City are a frightening prospect.

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Which makes a win all the more important for Louis van Gaal’s United. They need to take their chance against City while they are missing two key players.

There are more question marks about United’s credentials than City’s. And it is easy to change your opinion week by week.

In pre-season United were being touted as a top-four side. They were top of the table three weeks ago but were then demolished 3-0 at Arsenal before the international break, with their defence in particular being ripped apart by pace. That heavy defeat had them back to being a top-four side at best.

Two weeks later and they are putting in their best performance of the season with a 3-0 win at Everton.

So do United have a genuine shot at the title? Forget their bafflingly inconsistent performances for a minute. They have the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in David de Gea. They have the joint-second best defence in the league, conceding just eight times, three of those in the defeat to Arsenal. They are unbeaten at home. They have a central midfield that is arguably the best in the league, especially if Van Gaal plays Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera in the same team.

And, with the addition of Anthony Martial, United’s forward line has become a lot more dynamic, with more pace.

On paper, they have as good a chance as City or Arsenal, which is why they need a statement win on Sunday.

Van Gaal will be more confident of being able to contain Raheem Sterling, Wilfried Bony and Kevin de Bruyne than he would have Silva and Aguero and United will be confident of winning the midfield battle, too.

Van Gaal will take a lot of hope from Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-1 defeat of City in September, a match where Silva was also missing. They key to that victory as a strong defensive performance and Tottenham being clinical with their chances.

It is not a win-or-bust game for United, but defeat will hurt them more than it would City. They will be five points off the pace and playing catch up, ahead of a tricky trip to Crystal Palace.

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