A week on and they were still at it, still singing about how Old Trafford is not structurally sound. It might well end up being the soundtrack to Manchester City’s season, that song. There were occasions when it filled all four sides of the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Of course, those lyrics would not have been dreamt up had their old rivals not been floundering quite so badly. City wouldn’t chant about a leaky roof if Manchester United regularly won matches.
It could be heard shortly before Jeremy Doku opened Bournemouth up for the first time and further brought to mind an ever-growing chasm between the two clubs in this part of the world.
Doku, 12 games into his City career, already has treble the number of assists that United winger Antony has managed in over a year. Six plays two.
There were four here, to go with the opening goal. It was the third Premier League game — after victories over West Ham and Brighton — which Doku has grabbed by the horns.
It is supposed to take players a season or more to understand Pep Guardiola properly but this guy is bucking the trend. ‘It’s not normal,’ Rodri said. ‘We are quite surprised. He has evolved into the way we play.’
Doku cost a fair amount of money, joining from Rennes for £55million. A raw talent considered a calculated gamble. In that position, United spent £82m on Antony. There cannot be any debate over who secured value for money and it is a case study in how the two clubs are run.
‘We had two or three options and the club decided — Txiki Begiristain mainly — that this was a guy who we needed,’ Guardiola said. The City boss suggested that his sporting director took charge, identifying the 21-year-old as the best option to offer the team specific skillsets — mainly more pace and tricks in wide areas.
Guardiola often praises Begiristain. They are close mates who go back a long way. Yet there is also a key point of trust — a significant reason why the manager remains in situ.
United’s critics say they don’t have a recruitment head. They do, just without a cohesive structure underneath. That is why they overspend — it’s why they have been nowhere near players like City’s World Cup winner Julian Alvarez, picked up for just £14m.
This is where we are in Manchester now: City seamlessly evolving their squad and creating an easy environment for new signings to enter; United placing undue pressure on big-money signings who need time, like £72m striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Doku was benched for the derby last week with Jack Grealish starting on the left. But every time Doku produces a sparkling display it puts more pressure on the Englishman to perform. No bad thing for Guardiola.
‘I want Jack angry,’ Guardiola said. ‘And then Doku — be angry that he didn’t play the last game. This is the way to maintain consistency at that level. Jack is back. The way he played at Old Trafford gave us more composure, which was decisive for us.’
They can play together, and did so brilliantly against tomorrow’s visitors Young Boys a fortnight ago. Guardiola wants Doku to learn how best to operate on the right, his natural side, and his peers have already noticed the difference he makes.
‘Now we have a player with this ability that in the last years we didn’t really have,’ Rodri said. ‘Maybe when Raz (Raheem Sterling) was here or Leroy Sane, this kind of player, these fast players on the side. He’s a happy boy and I’m very proud of him.’