It’s a pretty damning indictment of how far Manchester United have fallen in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era that some are framing a potential FA Cup final victory over Man City as a repeat of that Wigan win a decade ago, or while drawing comparisons to Coventry ’87.
The fact is, however, Erik ten Hag‘s side are underdogs.
Even the most biased Manchester United supporter would have to admit that, losing home and away to Man City this season while finishing seven places and a staggering 31 points behind Pep Guardiola’s champions.
This is not to say, however, that United do not have the weapons to poke at those admittedly-rare chinks in City’s armour. Rio Ferdinand feels that an attack consisting of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho can never be ruled out against any opposition, and Dwight Yorke shares a similar perspective.
Manchester United legend spots City weakness
You only have to go back to that Etihad Stadium clash on March 3rd to realise what Yorke means when he says Rashford and Garnacho, in particular, can be Guardiola’s Achilles heel at Wembley.
Either side of Rashford’s blockbusting opener, United carved out a couple of very promising openings for themselves on the break.
More ruthlessness will be required this Saturday of course – United failed to build on their momentum and eventually lost 3-1 a few months back – but Yorke insists it is not impossible that Ten Hag’s team perform a Solskjaer-esque counter-attacking masterclass with revenge for last season’s heartbreak providing extra motivation.
“I will play Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, while I would put Rasmus Hojlund in at the front. With two holding midfielders, it gives those four players up top the freedom to roam,” Yorke, the top-scorer in United’s treble winning 1999 season, tells Tribal Football.
“Manchester City are a position-based team. They like to dominate the ball, and that way their full-backs are the ones that really allows them to overload the wide areas.
“I think they are very vulnerable down the sides. You want those centre-backs to be coming out into wide areas and go one-on-one with the likes of Garnacho and Rashford.
“I don’t think they’re super great at defending. They’re good on the ball but, defensively, they’re only good in numbers. They’re not really good one-on-one. So that would be an area that I would try to exploit.
“Get the ball in those areas and drag their centre-backs out wide. Centre-backs never like to come out of those comfort zones.”
United face City again in another FA Cup final
Garnacho and Rashford have already combined to stun Guardiola and co. It was the former who set up the latter’s late winner during that dramatic comeback victory at Old Trafford in January 2023, captain marvel Fernandes having drawn the hosts level a few minutes earlier.
Man United, meanwhile, will head to Wembley with one thing they did not have 12 months ago. A centre-forward in form. Rasmus Hojlund has 16 goals in all competitions and two in his last two, though Yorke feels that the time has come for the deadly Dane to do it in a ‘big game’.
“In the big games, he has gone missing,” Yorke adds. “In the games that you expect a Manchester United player to do well in, he’s been doing OK.
“Maybe I am a little harsh. But when you’re playing for the big boys, you’re going to get judged harshly. That’s just what it is. There’s no rest in the park. There’s no hiding place. I want him to prove me wrong. I want him to be successful at Manchester United.
“To be fair to him, he’s done well to even get to that number of goals. In the last couple of games, he’s come on and scored, which is positive sign.
“The real test will come next season. Can he then produce something that I can eat my words about? I’d be happy for that to happen?”
Related Topics
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
