First Manchester Derby of new season to set the tone for a long-term power shift?

Manchester United and Manchester City finished next to each other in the Premier League table last season with just seven points separating the bitter rivals as City finished second and United third. Ahead of the Manchester Derby this weekend nobody at United needs reminding that City have finished above them for 13-straight league seasons. The last time United finished above City was Sir Alex Ferguson's final campaign in charge, when United last won the league in 2013. Even though United have won three of the last seven league meetings against City and have lost just twice in that stretch, generally speaking Manchester has been blue for some time. But ahead of the first derby of the 2026-27 season, and with Pep Guardiola gone after a decade of dominance, United sense a chance to close the gap to Man City and finally overtake them. Can United use this Manchester Derby to begin power shift? United are back in the UEFA Champions League this season, have a settled squad and Michael Carrick has brought stability and togetherness while a few miles away City go through a huge transition post-Guardiola. Speaking to Pro Soccer Talk ahead of this game, United's star goalkeeper Senne Lammens did not play down the importance of this derby and how United see this as a chance to make a statement about where they want to go. "You feel some games are more important than others and City at home is probably one of the most important games for our fans and also for us as a team," Lammens said. "The last couple of years they've probably been the best team in the Premier League. So if you want to be the best you've got to beat the best. Last season I think our best performance was against City at home when the coach [Carrick] took over and you felt the energy and the whole fanbase behind us at home when we beat them the way we did. That's a memory that's still fresh in my mind and one which we want to try to repeat this weekend." Given their individual talent and penchant for delivering in the big games, few would put it past United to beat City at a rocking Old Trafford on Sunday. But Lammens didn't sugarcoat United's poor start to this season. United have lost at new boys Hull City, beat new boys Ipswich at home in a wide-open thriller and drew at Everton in dramatic fashion, picking up just four points from a fairly easy start to the new campaign. "It's not the best start, of course, result wise. We wanted to start the season well," Lammens said. "I think with our play we have shown flashes of what we want to be but you also want to win those games. Especially last week [2-2 draw at Everton] where they score in the last minute, it was a gut wrenching feeling. But that's football. Also you have to kind of look through it. Sometimes you win those games with the last minute. Sometimes you can draw. It's also just to see the big picture, to know that it's going to be a long season. "We're in for the long haul. It's just kind of getting back to that winning feeling of what we ended up with last season, that kind of momentum we had going. So, try to get back to that feeling and try to take those games and pull them to our side and win, and then win, win. So that's probably where we're at at the moment." New manager, same City? Meanwhile City have started the season like nothing has changed. But so much has. They've won three from three in the Premier League with new manager Enzo Maresca slotting straight in and several new players who replaced legends like John Stones, Rodri and Bernardo Silva this summer, also hitting the ground running. "Excited about everything that is coming, and obviously, like you said, lots of changes," Ruben Dias, who has worn the captain's armband for City in each of their three league wins so far, told Pro Soccer Talk recently. "New players coming in and out and obviously the new manager, new ideas in some ways. Just a general good feeling about the whole situation. It is exciting." Have things changed tactically much under Maresca compared to Guardiola? "I mean, I'm not going to go into too much detail," Dias smiled. "But obviously there are details that make it very different. But at the same time the idea, the whole concept, is very much of what we was trying to do. The way we try and hurt them, the way we appreciate having the ball and how important it is for us to have the ball. But then obviously the way we press, the intensity with which we are doing things, we are trying to as much as we can step up on it and work hard, and get everything perfected so that we can be as efficient as we can be." Trophies the aim for both, as City will be tough to topple United were extremely efficient last season under Carrick and Lammens says they have to aim high as they try to improve on their third-place finish. "It's always easy to put targets on us as a team straight away. Of course, knowing this club and the amount of history we have here, we want to play for trophies, we want to win trophies," Lammens said. "But it's also looking at a bit more, not really always looking at the end goal, but more week to week and trying to get back in the winning ways and the momentum of winning those games week in and week out. Because it's going to be a long season, we are going to have difficult moments and good moments in the season. We want to play for trophies but probably for us more we are looking towards just the next game up and trying to win that one and then see at the end where we stand and try to be there in the end to compete for titles for trophies." Speaking of trophies, Dias reflected on Maresca being a key part of City's incredible treble-winning season in 2022-23 as he was the first team coach under Guardiola. "Enzo was part of the treble. That's the season he was here and it's not just any season," Dias said when asked about Maresca's impact then and how City's big changes this summer may actually be quite subtle. "And everything else, the club has to do whatever they have to do and maybe at this time it was necessary to do this many changes and we just move on from it. Obviously the new people that have come here to win are full of ambition. So we buy into the idea of Enzo and we move forward and we're all very excited... His influence [Maresca in 2022-23] was obviously high and we shared beautiful memories at that time. But at the same time that's in the past and it belongs in the past. It was a beautiful moment and we want to write new history." Even though United have had great results in this derby against City in recent years, they're hoping this season is the start of them writing a new history in Manchester. One where they finally get back on top. But even without Guardiola, City will be incredibly tough to overhaul.