Guillem Balague: Tunnel brawl helps Mourinho to distract from Manchester City derby dominance

It was disappointing if not entirely unexpected to see Jose Mourinho at odds with the usual suspects following Manchester United’s comprehensive defeat to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

The referees, bad luck, the suggestion that the goals conceded were soft due to player error were all to blame. Then, a demand for “respect” directed to the City players and staff while they celebrated the victory sparked a brawl. A brawl that allegedly ended up with Mikel Arteta having his eyebrows opened up and 15 or 20 players and members of staff from both clubs fighting in what a witness called “one of those passionate tunnel meetings”. He adds, “nothing out of the ordinary, really”. Perhaps. But I am sure there will ‘coincidentally’ be more talk of that than of the difference in quality of both teams, in terms of performances and approach to the game.

And nothing to do with Mourinho, of course, nothing to do with his team selection, or the fact that his side played too deep defensively with Lukaku alone up front, or the reality they couldn’t stop Manchester City because their rivals were simply better.

Both, Pep and Jose, started at their respective clubs at around about the same time time and both managers have spent, give a take the odd euro, about €300m on strengthening their squads to challenge for the Premier League.

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After 15 wins and a draw, including a record breaking 14 wins on the bounce, Manchester City now sit 11 points clear of their city rivals. Very difficult to justify to the United hierarchy unless Mourinho convinces them that someone else is to blame.

How good are this City? To put it into some kind of context, at the same stage of the season after 16 games, Arsenal’s unbeaten Invincibles, cited by many as the greatest ever Premier League side, would have already have lagged eight points behind City in the table.

At Liverpool, Graham Souness led another of the truly great top English sides and even he admitted on Sky Sports that his Liverpool, as a player, never went to Old Trafford and dominated proceedings in the way that Pep’s team did.

But enough comparisons because whether or not City can go the whole season unbeaten – and personally I don’t think they can because the more you win the closer you get to your first defeat – the fact is that this Manchester City side under the leadership of Guardiola is playing a game and a style of football the likes of which have never been seen before in the Premier League.

Guardiola’s skill predominantly revolves around a number of things, notably his obsession with detail, a total unwillingness to make any kind of compromise on style or method, but perhaps most of all his ability to get the very, very best out of his sometimes very expensive charges. And that is to me the biggest lesson here. Money is key of course, but also coaching of the highest level is at the top of the Premier League.

Take Nicolas Otamendi for example. When he first arrived he was derided and ridiculed by many and he is now not just a solid defender but actually also one of the most accurate of passers, not just in the City side but in the entire Premier League.

There were doubts about Raheen Sterling, particularly after England’s disastrous European campaign but he is a man reborn under Guardiola’s leadership and one of the first names on the team sheet and he would be the first to tell you that this is predominantly down to the tutelage he has received under Guardiola.

Gabriel Jesus is far from from the finished article and he may, or may not, become a true superstar in the future. Currently he is just a decent player and he certainly isn’t yet a Neymar or an Mbappe, but the fact that he is getting in ahead of Aguero tells us a great deal about the direction that Pep thinks this player is heading in. And the fact that Guardiola is doing what he is doing with City without a top striker is also very telling.

He is of course surrounded by truly some of the most wonderful players in the world like Silva, De Bruyne and also the excellent Ederson, all of who are instrumental in initiating the brave possession football that has been the hallmark of this Manchester City side this season.

Not only are people enjoying the style of Manchester City’s football but are also finally realising that fortune can favour the brave and actually looking to emulate it.

And why wouldn’t they? Guardiola is simply at the top of his game now and unquestionably the best coach in the world.

When Barcelona and Real Madrid showed this type of dominance in the La Liga the traditional cry from many English fans was that they played in an inferior league. I became tired of saying that it was never the case just as I now insist that just because Manchester City are so dominant is doesn’t necessarily follow that the Premier League is weak and uncompetitive.

On the contrary, afterall five English sides have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League.

Put simply, it is just that as was with Barcelona and Real Madrid, it is not that the league is weak but rather that Manchester City are so strong and far ahead of anyone else.

I am not saying they are the best side ever in the Premier League, they will have to win many trophies to be that, but I doubt there has been better collective football being played in England.

Let’s all enjoy it while we can.