Even though it may only two games into the new season, the Premier League table doesn't lie. Manchester City are top with two wins from two and a goal difference of +6, while Manchester United are bottom with two defeats and a goal difference of -5.
Despite the over-reactions from the other side of Manchester, United will not be relegated this season, and there are still 36 games left to play for. Likewise, City haven't won the league contrary to some onlookers' assertions despite Liverpool's slow start. However, the early six-point gap between United and City is no surprise, and highlights the decade-long journeys of both clubs in the opposite directions.
To highlight how badly managed United have been in the last decade, Sky Sports pundit and former Red Gary Neville used a 'Green - Amber - Red' system to categorise their major signings since 2013. Only two players made it into the green column, with as many as 24 signings deemed failures.
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So how would City compare if we took their major signings and used the same system: 'Green' for a successful signing, 'Amber' for a player who wasn't perfect but also wasn't a failure, and 'Red' for players who simply didn't justify their signings.
Unsurprisingly, there is an almost opposite look to the City list, with the majority of transfers proving their worth and only three that didn't work out. Instead of comparing City's transfers since 2013 as Neville did with United, we've started at Pep Guardiola's arrival in 2016.
'Green' players
The majority of the players who can confidently be called successes remain at the club, which is to be expected of the back-to-back champions. Working backwards from 2020, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo are key members of the defence, with Rodri one of the best in the world in his position and a true replacement for Fernandinho.
Riyad Mahrez has justified his £60m move from Leicester, with Kyle Walker remaining City's first-choice right-back despite a number of challenges. Bernardo Silva has been a revelation in midfield, Ederson has redefined what it is to be a goalkeeper, and John Stones is another who has defied the critics to play a key role in City's numerous trophies - as has Aymeric Laporte.
Ilkay Gundogan was Guardiola's first signing and is now his captain, and City wouldn't be champions without him, while the recently-departed pair of Gabriel Jesus and Aleks Zinchenko were both also successful players for City, earning around £45m of profit between them.
Green list: Dias, Cancelo, Rodri, Mahrez, Walker, Bernardo, Ederson, Stones, Laporte, Gundogan, Jesus, Zinchenko.
'Amber' players
It's too early to judge this season's arrivals - Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez - although all three look to represent good value, have impressed in their involvements so far, and seem to have the right attitude to succeed at City.
Jack Grealish is yet to fully justify his £100m fee, although it would be unfair to list him on a 'red' list that Neville used to put Alexis Sanchez, Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian. Similarly, Nathan Ake has simply not had the chances to justify being a 'Green' player, although he has performed well whenever he is given the chance, just like at the start of the current campaign.
Ferran Torres looked good until he decided he wanted to move to Barcelona, but can hardly be described as a flop, while Leroy Sane had a similar effect in his time at the Etihad before getting his head turned for Bayern Munich. Completing the list is Guardiola's first goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo - who wasn't perfect, but did a job.
Amber list: Haaland, Phillips, Alvarez, Grealish, Ake, Torres, Sane, Bravo.
'Red' players
Guardiola signed Spanish striker Nolito in his first summer, but the forward never got firing and left after a year. Full-backs Benjamin Mendy and Danilo looked good in flashes, although ultimately Danilo's best contribution was to offset the £60m fee paid for Joao Cancelo by moving to Juventus as part of the same deal.
Red list: Mendy, Danilo, Nolito.
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