Manchester United has lost its long dominance in England and Manchester City seems to have taken over the leadership

Leer en español: Mánchester: ¿Del Rojo al Azul?

Manchester United dominated football in England from the 1992-1993 season, winning 13 Premier League titles until 2013. The Reds Devils managed to become the most successful team in the history of England's premier league, by even over Liverpool. On the other side of the sidewalk was Manchester City, the club whose last league title was won in the 1967-1968 season.

It took 44 years for the blue club from Manchester to return to glory, as in the 2011-2012 season it achieved a new Premier League title. Two years later, the team managed to become champion again. Now, in the current season, Manchester City will surely conquer the Premier League without any major problems. Just a few weeks ago, it became champions of the League Cup and it will play the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, a competition in which United remained eliminated in the round of 16. It seems that the domain in Manchester, after a long time, has passed IGNORE INTO the hands of the Cityzens.

2013-2014 season: Turning point

Manchester City began to reform institutionally and financially since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan became owner of the club in 2008. However, Manchester United remained firm and successful in all its campaigns in the Premier League and in the different international competitions.

The Cityzens continued their restructuring and reinforced their team season after season. The team managed to reach the dreamed title until the 2011-2012 season, but the Red Devils responded by getting the title in the following season. Manchester City was not intimidated and reconquered the premier in the 2013-2014 season. This season became the inflection point of the dominance of football in the city of Manchester.

Since that title in 2014, Manchester City has finished above Manchester United in the standings of each and every one of the Premier League seasons. Although neither team has won the league title since then, this season Manchester City would confirm the transfer of power once it conquers the first division title without major inconveniences.

Balance for competitions

Since the 2013-2014 season, the direct confrontations between both teams in the Premier League have been favorable for the Cityzens. City prevailed in five games, while United obtained only two wins and tied on two other occasions. On April 7, there will be a new confrontation between the two teams, this time at City’s home in the 33rd encounter of the current league. This match can be the definitive for Cityzens towards the league title, because it has 16 points of advantage over its biggest pursuer: -precisely- Manchester United.

The situation in the national cups is more even, but it is still favorable for the blue club. Since the 2013-2014 season, Manchester City managed to triumph in three League Cups, while Manchester United won a League Cup and an FA Cup, in addition to winning the only direct match of both teams, in 2016.

In international competitions, the domain has been harder to get for Manchester City. While the Red Devils managed to win the UEFA Europa League in the 2016-2017 season, this is a minor tournament compared to the UEFA Champions League. This competition has been constantly disputed by the Cityzens, reaching even the semifinals in the 2015-2016 edition. In the current edition of Champions, the City is one of the favorites. The team reached the quarterfinals and will face Liverpool. United, on the other hand, was eliminated unexpectedly in the second round at the hands of Sevilla of Spain.

The dominance of English football seems to be in a historic stage of transition, as Manchester City will continue for much longer in the power struggle thanks to its overwhelming economic facilities and a football process that has already begun to bear fruit. City lives a glorious era while United lives one of uncertainty. However, the Red Devils will appeal to the hierarchy they obtained by being for more than two decades at the top of English football. A titanic dispute over the dominance of football in Manchester and throughout England is assured.

LatinAmerican Post | Javier Aldana
Translated from “Mánchester: ¿Del Rojo al Azul?”