Are these the five lessons Man United can learn from Man City?

Every day’s a school day. Every day you should learn something new, take little bits off everyone you meet and everything you see. Take the best, leave the worst.

So just because one football club happens to be your biggest, most bitter rivals doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two and use that to your advantage.

Just because you’re Manchester United doesn’t mean that you can do no wrong, and just because they’re ‘little City’ doesn’t mean everything they do is terrible.

In fact, City have been at the forefront of some of the big changes football clubs have made over the past few seasons – everything from their business practises to their social media coverage.

So why wouldn’t United look to imitate and expand on what City are doing? There are always things you can learn – even if that’s learning what not to do – and here are some of the things that United can learn from Manchester City…

Understated brilliance

Manchester United are a massive club. United are a massive business. For years, United have been mocked or even loathed as a result of their foreign commercial ventures. Ventures that led to creating a fan base around the world, thousands of miles from Manchester, and lots and lots of wealth. And wealth brought even more trophies.

But the world has moved on now. What Manchester United have been doing for two decades is more than just common practise these days, it’s a must for every club, big and small.

And Manchester City are no different, announcing a new badge, a new manager and a new signing all on the same day. But the way in which they go about it seems much smoother, much less brash than the way Manchester United go about it.

City tried brash – remember the Welcome to Manchester banner? But these days a more understated approach may just bear more fruit, and perhaps being less brash about your club helps the team focus on the pitch as well!

Matchday experience

Perhaps the best thing Manchester City have innovated over the past few seasons is entertainment around the Etihad. A big screen, live music, interviews, food and beer is just what fans want as they arrive for a game – who wouldn’t want to arrive an hour early if there’s so much to do around the ground.

City think it helps their atmosphere – well just imagine how it would work at Old Trafford, where there actually is an atmosphere, then….

Building the club as a whole

Manchester United have been the masters of this pursuit over the years. The Red Devils started the idea of building a brand around the club and allowing all the different facets of the club to grow.

But it’s been City, over the past few seasons, who have taken the idea to its next level. Replacing Sir Alex Ferguson is an impossible job, but so was replacing his brother, Martin, United’s chief scout.

Since he’s retired, City have taken on the mantle of scouting youngsters, beating United regularly at youth and the new state of the art academy they have built is a testament to that – even City’s women’s team is growing fast, yet United are nowhere near them on this front either.

United will need to build in the same vein in order to progress.

How to splash the cash

Spending millions on Schweinsteiger and Fellaini? When City make their flops, they go all in!

In seriousness, though, £49m for Raheem Sterling is clearly too much, but it’s better to pay over the odds on a player who is still only 20 years old, because even if he is a flop, he still has time to put it right.

United are trying in a similar vein with the signing of Anthony Martial – so let’s hope that if they’re going to spend huge amounts of money on players, they’ll do it on the younger ones than by making 34 year old Zlatan Ibrahimovic the Premier League’s best paid player!

How not to be cringeworthy on Social media

Let’s be honest, teaming up with Hollywood film marketers to promote X-Men and Independence day is, frankly, cringeworthy. As, clearly, is Wayne Rooney!

Manchester United need to remember that people can actually see their social media output!

To be fair, though, every club could be less cringeworthy on social media. Except Valencia, apparently, welcoming former Manchester United player Nani to the club with a session of traditional Brazilian martial art, Capoeira. Nani’s death flip has come a long way since Sir Alex Ferguson banned him from doing it!