This weekend, we at 32 Flags are celebrating one of the most competitive, historic and fiercest rivalries in soccer. We’re talking about the derby between Liverpool and Manchester United. We’ll cover both teams inside and out in preparation for the game on Sunday. In this article, we’re telling you why you should support Manchester United in the derby.
Summary: The Yankees of the EPL. Other teams’ fans hate them, but this comes from the decades of success that they have had. There is also a begrudging respect hidden in that hatred.
Style of Play in a Tweet (140 Characters):
Traditionally focused on wing play. Their manager prefers them to play in a 3-5-2 with an emphasis on controlling the game and attack.
5 Reasons to Support:
1. Success – Manchester United is rarely far from success. In the last few decades, they were either the best team in the league or second best.
2. Big Name Players – They are also a team that has no trouble attracting big names, if the recent signing of Angel Di Maria is anything to go off of.
3. Club History – Much like their big rivals, Liverpool, United have a long history filled with glittering trophies. They are the most successful club in England.
4. Lots of Money (Marquee Signings) – This ability to attract big name players plus the sizable amount of money they have means that fans will get to sink their teeth into plenty of big name and exciting players.
5. Never Dull – Whether winning the league or in decline, supporting Manchester United is never boring. Probably not great for your heart, either.
Important Dates in History:
Founded: 1878
First European Cup: 1968
First League Cup: 1907/1908 Season
Munich Air Disaster: February 6th, 1958
Won 19th League Title (Most in English History): 2010/2011 Season
Top 5 Current Players:
1. Wayne Rooney – The most influential player for Manchester United, and one of the best paid. When all else fails, Rooney can be counted on to try to pull something out of nothing.
2. Angel Di Maria – An amazing player that was surprisingly pushed out of Real Madrid this summer. The offense always looks dangerous with him in it.
3. Robin Van Persie – Another talented striker at the club. The signing of the player is probably responsible for the last league title they won. A classic poacher style striker with great movement.
4. Radamel Falcao – Falcao hasn’t had as much of an impact on United this season as he would have liked, but he has also been injured for some of it. That should not take away from the incredible talent he possesses. A genuine threat whenever he has the ball.
5. Michael Carrick – The importance of this player to Manchester United cannot be overstated. He keeps the whole machine ticking with his intelligent passing and tempo control. Just watch them when he is injured.
Top 5 Former Players:
1. Ryan Giggs – One of the longest serving players on the team, and tipped by many to be the next manager once Van Gaal leaves.
2. George Best – Best was the best. Often considered amongst the best players at the time. Sadly, died much too early.
3. Bobby Charlton – One of the best strikers the club has ever seen, if not the best, and one of the best England has ever seen as well.
4. Denis Law – United’s second best striker ever. Had a deadly partnership with Charlton and Best.
5. Paul Scholes – A player United would love to have back. Could do anything in the midfield and had a thunderous shot.
Top 5 Hated Teams:
1. Liverpool FC – With the derby coming up, all you have to do Sunday is tune in to see how much these two sets of fans hate eachother.
2. Manchester City – United’s “noisy neighbors” as Alex Ferguson once called them, City have spent a long time in mediocrity. Now with their rise, City might have something to say about United considering themselves the biggest team in Manchester.
3. Leeds United – This one goes back to the War of the Roses, with Manchester representing Lancashire and Leeds representing Yorkshire. Seriously, it goes back that far. Has lost some of the glamour it used to have with Leeds’ implosion.
4. Chelsea – This is entirely a rivalry based on success and competition. When Chelsea first rose back in the early 2000’s, Manchester United were the team to beat. Competing for the league every season has a way of making enemies.
5. Arsenal – This one simply comes down to two managers not liking eachother. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are certainly not on each other’s Christmas card list with the number of spats they’ve had since Wenger first moved to Arsenal.
Top 5 People to Hate:
1. Steven Gerrard – The icon and representative of everything that is Liverpool Football Club. Why wouldn’t they hate him?
2. Jose Mourinho – Jose Mourinho. The man you love to hate. With the competition between Chelsea and United since Mourinho’s move to Chelsea has certainly turned this set of fans against The Special One.
3. John Terry – Much like Steven Gerrard, John Terry is very much the representative of Chelsea and the fact that he isn’t the nicest guy doesn’t help his case.
4. Luis Suarez – Liverpool talisman who got into spats with their players. Specifically, this started with Suarez being accused of racially abusing Patrice Evra. The hate continued from there.
5. The Glazers – The current owners of the club have had multiple protests against them in the past. Accusations of taking money from the club, not funding the club enough, or getting in the way of how the club was run have been laid at their feet over the year. Whether that is true or not is certainly debatable, but the mistrust is still there.
Fun Facts
1. Most league titles of any English team (They won the league 20 times)
2. The incredibly talented team of the 1950s was known as “Busby’s Babes” for the manager, Matt Busby, and his young squad full of potential.
3. Has played at Old Trafford since 1910.
4. The most vocal fan section at Old Trafford is known as Stretford End.
5. Has one of the highest average attendances in Europe.
