Carrick Responds to City’s ‘Kings of Manchester’ Jibe

Elliot Anderson lit the fuse before a ball was even kicked.

The £116 million summer signing from Nottingham Forest arrived at the Etihad with swagger and a line tailor‑made to rile the red half of the city. Manchester City, he declared, are the “Kings of Manchester” – a phrase the club’s own website gleefully doubled down on, even capitalising the word ‘king’.

For many United supporters, it stung because it hit close to home.

City have not just edged ahead since United’s last title in 2012-13; they have torn off into the distance. Seven Premier League crowns and a Champions League trophy have turned the blue side into a modern superpower, while United’s return has been modest by comparison. The table, the honours list, the recent parade routes – all of it backs Anderson’s boldness.

And yet, on the pitch, the derby has not been a complete mismatch.

Across the last 20 league meetings, United have found a way to bloody City’s nose often enough to keep the rivalry alive: seven wins, three draws, and just enough defiance to stop this fixture feeling like a coronation every time it comes around.

Anderson’s first derby, and a line that lingers

This weekend, Anderson finally walks into his first Manchester derby carrying the weight of his own words.

“It’s been one of the biggest derbies in the world. And for as long as I’ve known, City have been the Kings of Manchester,” he said recently, doubling down on his stance and underlining the generational shift. For a player raised on City’s era of dominance, his reality is simple: blue, not red.

New City head coach Enzo Maresca, the man tasked with following Pep Guardiola, wasted no time backing his marquee midfielder.

“Probably the reason why Elliot said that is because he grew up in the last 15 years,” Maresca explained. “I think Manchester City were unbelievable in what they achieved. So it was normal when Elliot said that... For me the reason Elliot said that is because when he grew up Manchester City was dominant.”

No apology. No softening. Just a reminder that, for a whole generation, City’s supremacy is not a provocation – it’s the norm.

Carrick refuses the ‘Kings’ tag – but not the reality

On the other side of the city, the reaction was sharp, but controlled.

Asked directly about the “Kings of Manchester” taunt, United boss Michael Carrick didn’t flinch. The smile was wry, the answer decisive.

“I’m definitely not using that phrase, at all, no,” he fired back.

He would not give City that verbal crown. Not from his mouth. Not yet.

But Carrick did not hide from what the last decade has looked like.

“I understand it,” he admitted. “We are humble enough and realistic enough to know where we have come from in recent history.”

That balance – refusing the label while accepting the landscape – has become the hallmark of Carrick’s tenure. He knows United cannot talk their way back to the top. They have to climb.

His permanent spell in charge already carries one standout memory against City: a 2-0 victory over Guardiola’s side that briefly felt like a turning point. Carrick, though, is not clinging to that as a one-off high. He wants something sturdier.

From one-off scalps to sustained standards

For Carrick, the real measure is whether United can live at the top table again, not just visit it.

“It is good, in a way, that expectation has shifted,” he said. “All of a sudden, there are different things asked of us to maybe what was asked of us a few months ago. We are in the Champions League - that in itself shows the steps we have made.”

That return to Europe’s elite is framed as a starting point, not a destination.

“Now, it is about the next stage,” he continued. “We need to, and want to be better, and we want to be challenging more. That’s where we're at. It doesn't mean that we can't and we won't. It means we still hope, we believe, and we expect that we can be and we should be, but I understand the bigger picture.”

The bigger picture is blunt: United trail Maresca’s City by five points in the Premier League table heading into Sunday. The gap is not unbridgeable, but it is symbolic. City are still the ones setting the pace. United are still the ones trying to latch on.

A chance to hit back on the pitch

Derbies can twist narratives in 90 minutes, though. This one offers United exactly that kind of chance.

Five points behind, facing a side that has hoarded trophies and confidence, Carrick’s men have the opportunity to land something more than just three points – a statement that they can trade blows with the champions again, not just chase them from a distance.

Carrick has watched City closely. Their midweek European performance against Porto only reinforced what he already knew.

“I thought they were very professional against Porto the other night,” he said. “They are a very good team. We know we have to put in a good performance and do a lot of things right to get a result.”

No illusions. No false bravado. Just the reality of facing a machine that rarely drops its level.

And yet, there is a quiet conviction building inside Carrick’s squad.

“I think we have built up confidence over a period of time,” he insisted. “I feel like we are getting better all the time and that helps us. It is a big game, it is an important game, there is a lot riding on it. We are looking forward to it. We have got a short space of time to recover and prepare for it, but we will make the most of it.”

The talk of “kings” has dominated the build-up, but Sunday will strip everything back to something simpler: 11 v 11, red v blue, supremacy tested on grass, not in headlines.

If City win, Anderson’s words will feel like a statement of fact.

If United strike back, that crown suddenly looks a little less secure.