On Sky Sports, Keane, Gary Neville, and Richards discussed the upcoming Manchester Derby, touching on the current gap in strength between Manchester United and Manchester City, their midfield setups, and their respective issues in attack and defense, while also analyzing the changes since Carrick and Maresca took charge.

Keane: I'm really looking forward to this game. The Manchester Derby always feels special. As a player, I have some great memories playing against Manchester City. Today will be an important match.

Do you think the gap between the two teams now is the smallest it's been in about 10 years? That is, since Guardiola came to Manchester City and really built this team.

Keane: No, I still think, looking at the squad Manchester City has now, and of course Haaland up front, you would still consider Manchester City's overall squad strength to be superior. However, the next few months will be very interesting. After all, Pep has left, and players like Rodri, who played a huge role in Manchester City's past success, have also left. So Manchester United should be able to draw some encouragement from that. If they want to further close the gap with Manchester City this season, hopefully they can start doing that today.

It's really hard to judge. It's a derby, and derbies are always unpredictable. Especially this one today, Micah, with a new manager in the away dugout, and significant, very obvious changes to both teams' squads.

Richards: Yes, Roy is right. Look at the midfield, Rodri used to be very influential, as was Bernardo Silva. I watched Manchester City's Champions League match, and Bouadi performed exceptionally well. Before that, I was actually a bit worried about how they would set up their midfield. Because if Anderson and Enzo partnered, I felt that both of them sometimes took risks too early, rushing into the box or pushing forward too soon.

But when I saw Bouadi's performance in that position, even though he's only 18, I felt they could now start building a system around that position. As for the manager, it will certainly always be difficult. You know, Pep is the man, he's a legend, he changed football in this country. So succeeding him will never be easy, but Maresca has had a good start.

Will Bouadi play?

Richards: That's precisely the problem. Because before, they used Anderson, then Enzo, with Cherki further forward. When they had possession, sometimes it looked very beautiful, one-touch, two-touch passing, very exciting play. But once it came to transitions, it looked very thin.

We'll talk about these specific issues in more detail later, because we'll also hear from some of Manchester City's new midfielders, and then discuss the midfield battle in this match more specifically. But going back to Roy's point earlier, looking at the gap between the two teams' squads, and then looking at Manchester City losing Pep Guardiola and bringing in Enzo Maresca. Although they've had a perfect start to the new Premier League season, if you only look at Manchester United's results since Michael Carrick took over, there isn't actually a big gap between Manchester United and Manchester City. In fact, their records are almost identical.

Neville: Yes. Michael's coaching record has been outstanding, especially at Old Trafford. Manchester United have always performed very well here, and are very difficult to beat. Of course, their away record hasn't been as good.

However, I think for the start of this season, today's game is crucial because it will influence how people perceive Manchester United's start. If they drop points again today, then you'll say they've had a terrible start to the season. But if they win, then you'll say they're back on track. But so far, Michael Carrick's coaching record has been excellent, and he has to keep that performance going.

This is probably also the period where he's been under the most pressure and scrutiny so far. There are definitely people scrutinizing his performance now, because the season has started, and they are gradually getting through the early stages of the season. It's a fresh start, and because of their previous start and such good results, there are now indeed expectations from outside.

And you've always been quite cautious about him, Roy.

Keane: Yes, I've always been cautious. But I still feel that today's game is actually good for Manchester United. Just like when he took the job again, there will obviously still be some questions, because whenever he makes a mistake, the pressure starts to build.

But I also think today is a good game for Carrick. It was like this when he first took over, winning a few important games and building some momentum. Manchester United's home record is excellent, so I think this game is good for them. Of course, they've had a bit of a shaky start to the season, especially against Hull City. But we've also seen Hull City's recent performances, they're playing very, very well now.

So once Manchester United start having problems and dropping points, the pressure will naturally build up. But I still think today is a good game for Manchester United. From an attacking perspective, I still see some positives.

But Manchester United's biggest problem now, and it will remain a problem in the coming months, is that they concede too many goals and give opponents too many chances. This will always limit Manchester United. However, just looking at their ability to attack forward and create goal threats, I think it's still quite exciting.

If you look at the records between the two teams over the past 10 seasons, it's really incomparable, Micah. So how much can Manchester City take from these historical records? How important are these things in a game like today?

Richards: Hard to say. Of course, you can take something from it, past results definitely give you confidence. But I still remember, when I participated in this game, we were the underdogs, but we still beat Manchester United. This game is different.

Neville: Hmm.

Richards: Forget all the stats and stuff. In these kinds of games...

Neville: When was that, Micah? (laughs)

Richards: It was that...

Neville: The 6-1 game, right? (laughs)

Richards: Don't you remember, Gary? You even gave me man of the match in that game.

Neville: Did I?

Richards: Yeah.

Neville: Wow.

Keane: You were already retired then. (laughs)

Richards: And the 1-0 win at the Etihad, there were many games like that.

Neville: But in the 6-1 game, you weren't the underdogs.

Keane: I think you were still the underdogs then, but you were starting to rise.

Richards: Wait, how many years had it been since we won the Premier League then? Eight years...

Neville: Come on...

Richards: You were the defending champions then, please. Yes, we were the underdogs. And further back, there was the game commemorating the Munich air disaster. We came here, played in those special kits, and we were also the underdogs in that game.

Neville: You certainly were that day.

Richards: Yes, but we still won.

So who are the underdogs today?

Richards: That's a good question...

Actually, this goes back to our initial discussion about how far apart these two teams really are now. Which team do you think will go into this game thinking: "Maybe..."

Richards: Manchester United are the underdogs, aren't they?

Yes, that's the phrase we wanted, Micah. (laughs)

Richards: Manchester City are obviously the clear favorites. (laughs) Manchester United are the underdogs here. Their recent performances have indeed improved, and I think Carrick is doing a very good job. But as Roy said, there are still some issues in their games.

Last season, they gradually built something, and their defense and transitions were very good. But I watched their game against Shabab Al-Ahli the other day, and there were huge gaps everywhere on the pitch. When they needed to press high and control possession themselves, they struggled a bit. I think if they revert to last season's approach, sitting deeper and trying to hit Manchester City on the counter, that's their best way to win this game.

Keane: Yes, I think the strengths of both teams are actually very clear, which are their midfield and attacking players. Of course, Manchester United's back four has huge question marks. Manchester City's might not be as severe, but they do give opponents chances. So I think any score is possible today, there will definitely be a lot of chances in the game, the question is whether both teams can take them. But if we're talking about the strongest areas for both teams today, I still think it's their attacking players.

That's often the case. The most entertaining games aren't necessarily those where both sides play perfectly, but rather those where both sides make mistakes, especially leaving gaps in defense.

Neville: Yes. I actually hope Manchester City play Enzo Fernandez and Anderson in midfield today. I don't know if Maresca will play Nico O'Reilly and Anderson together, and push Enzo Fernandez further forward into a more advanced position, which would make the midfield more solid. If they set up like that, I think it will be harder for Manchester United to win.

But if Enzo and Anderson partner in midfield, considering the way we know Manchester United will play, then I do think the game will become an end-to-end affair with plenty of chances, and it will be very exciting.

Roy, do you think either side can really control this game today?

Keane: Of course, that's the importance of the midfield battle. We don't know the starting lineups yet. I think if you want to win an important game, you have to try to control the midfield as much as possible, so the real contest will happen there. We keep talking about how bad Manchester United's defense is, but the question is, is it really just a problem with the back four and the goalkeeper? Or is it a problem with the whole team?

Because again, Manchester United are very, very threatening when they attack forward. I'm sure Manchester United will score today, maybe even two.

The problem lies at the back. So is this just a defensive issue, or a whole team issue? We always say that the most difficult thing in football is scoring goals. Manchester United can score goals now and create chances, and Manchester City are obviously the same.

So what Manchester United needs to solve now is how to play more compactly. I'm not saying they have to keep clean sheets every week, but they can't concede two goals every game and give opponents so many chances.

If they keep doing that, it will continue to limit this Manchester United team. We've also pressed Carrick on this issue. He brought Steve Holland into the coaching staff, and Holland obviously knows how to organize a team. He also has Jonny Evans and Woodgate, who was also a defender. So how are they going to solve this problem?

There was indeed talk of bringing in defenders before, but now the transfer window is closed, and they have to solve it themselves. Everyone is discussing these issues, and now it's up to the manager and coaching staff to fix it. Because we keep talking about Manchester United's back four, and we believe these players who are expected to start are experienced internationals. Yet, none of us here believe Manchester United can keep a clean sheet today.

We already feel that they will certainly give Manchester City many chances. So, is this really just a problem with the back four? Or a problem with the whole team?

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