Carrick Responds to Anderson’s ‘Kings of Manchester’ Derby Claim

Elliot Anderson’s first Manchester derby as a City player will arrive with added tension after the £116 million ($156m) summer signing from Nottingham Forest described the Sky Blues as Manchester’s “Kings”. Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has declined to adopt that language, while accepting that City’s recent record has set the standard ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting.

Key takeaways

• Anderson joined Manchester City from Nottingham Forest in the summer for £116m ($156m).
• United are five points behind Enzo Maresca’s side before Sunday’s derby.
• City have won seven Premier League titles and the Champions League since United last ended a league season above them in 2012-13.
• United have still taken seven wins and three draws from their past 20 league derbies against City.
• Carrick said Champions League qualification reflects United’s progress, but wants his team to become regular contenders.

Anderson comment adds edge to derby

Anderson’s remarks were welcomed by City after he said the club had been Manchester’s dominant force throughout his lifetime. The midfielder called the fixture one of world football’s major derbies and said City had held the upper hand for as long as he could remember.

Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola during the summer, said Anderson’s view was shaped by the era in which he grew up. The City head coach pointed to the club’s achievements across roughly the last 15 years, describing their success as extraordinary and saying it was understandable that the new signing regarded City as the leading side in the city.

United have not completed a Premier League campaign above City since 2012-13. In the period since, City have collected seven domestic league championships as well as the Champions League, widening the contrast between the clubs’ major honours.

Yet the derby has not been entirely one-sided on the pitch. Across the last 20 Premier League contests between the sides, United have recorded seven victories and 10 matches without defeat when three draws are included.

Carrick focused on United’s next step

Carrick smiled when asked whether he accepted Anderson’s description of City, saying he would not use the phrase himself. However, he said United were realistic and modest enough to recognise where the club had been in the recent past.

The United manager has already overseen a notable derby result during his previous permanent spell, when his team beat Guardiola’s City 2-0. His wider objective, though, is to build a side capable of producing sustained improvement rather than relying on isolated statement victories.

Carrick said the change in expectations around United was positive. Reaching the Champions League, he said, demonstrated the advances made by the squad, but he insisted that qualification for Europe’s top competition should be a starting point rather than the final target.

United now want to improve again and compete more consistently for the biggest prizes. Carrick said there remained belief and expectation within the group that it could reach that level, even while he acknowledged the broader context of City’s achievements.

City come into the derby after a professional midweek European performance against Porto. Carrick called Maresca’s team a very good side and said United would need a strong display, with many aspects of their game executed correctly, to take a result.

He added that United’s confidence had been built over time and that the team felt it was improving. With limited recovery and preparation time before Sunday, Carrick said his players would use the available period as effectively as possible for a match carrying major significance in the title race.