If you weren’t excited enough for the Manchester Derby already, allow one of Manchester City’s bonafide legends to pep you up even more.
David Silva has been part of a Cityzens production that builds the hype ahead of the Blues welcoming their cross-city rivals for the first time this season to the Etihad Stadium.
Though the derby remains United’s second most important fixture in the footballing calendar, behind their enthralling clashes with Liverpool, it is certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated in the footballing world.
El Mago provides the context leading up to the game, and there's probably no finer proponent to promote such an intriguing match.
Silva’s name is now nearly always bandied around when fans compile the list of both the Premier League’s greatest imports, as well as arguing who is the finest player ever to pull on the Sky Blue.
In the video, which is available to watch below, Silva takes us through the recent history between the two since City were fuelled by Sheikh Mansour’s billions, including footage of Vinnie Kompany’s iconic header at the Etihad to turn-the-tables at the end of the 2011/12 season - a vital moment as City wrenched their first English title triumph in over 40 years.
To their credit, the City vid pays due attention to some of the more memorable moments produced by rivals Manchester United, including Wayne Rooney’s supreme overhead kick in 2011.
However, the focus is predominantly on City’s now infamous 6-1 drubbing of the Red Devils at Old Trafford in 2011, in a match that stunned the footballing world.
Silva informs us,
‘From that point on, everything started to change a little bit and now they have huge respect for us.’
Silva of course was one the architect’s of City’s win last season at the Theatre of Dreams, and the footage goes someway to displaying the camaraderie and rapport that Pep Guardiola has instilled within the team. However, the memory of United’s astonishing 3-2 comeback in April still heavily lingers.
‘We know the derby is very important for the fans and for us too because when you win this kind of game it gives you a morale boost’.
City are probably the team least in need of said boost. The incumbent Premier League title holders have started as they want to continue, with no defeats in the first 12 games, retaining the best defensive record in the league, and bagging an astonishing 33 goals, as they look to make their march to their second consecutive championship a procession.
