For Manchester United and manager Ten Hag, the reality is harsh. Winning against a top team is not an easy feat, it's more about fighting to defend your dignity.
Imagine Manchester United stepping onto the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City, only to end up in a miserable defeat. As a result, Ten Hag and his men opted for a more pragmatic strategy for Sunday's game: a solid defence as the cornerstone while holding hope in mind.
Marcus Rashford's long-range strike in the eighth minute gave United hope and momentum. However, they were not able to build on that and extend their lead. Instead, their main task is to do everything they can to hold on to that goal-scoring lead as a shield from the elements. Although they were successful for a while, they were ultimately unable to withstand the opponent's attack and the wall collapsed.
This is in line with United's performance at Liverpool earlier this season. At Anfield last December, they held Liverpool to a low level of possession and shots. However, in this game, despite the similarity in the numbers, the results were very different. Manchester United lost 3-1 and it was a reality they couldn't escape.
The defeat once again highlighted the huge gap between Manchester United and top teams such as Manchester City and Liverpool. While Manchester United have been able to show competitiveness against the likes of Aston Villa and win at crucial moments, they still look inadequate when faced with the top standards of English football.
Manchester United are still a long way from the top, and that's a reality that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS investment group will need to face. In the decade since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, United have experienced many setbacks and mistakes and are now working to repair the damage.
Ratcliffe and his team may have doubts about Ten Hag's future. After all, Manchester United are not in a good position at the top of the table, just two points above West Ham United and a big gap from leaders Liverpool. However, we must recognise that any manager will face a huge challenge when taking over this Manchester United team.
Although United have some promising young players in their squad, such as Maynou and Garnacho, as well as experienced veterans such as Casemiro and Raphael Varane, they have not always performed as well as they could have been. These veterans are in the twilight of their careers, and while they can still play a key role in certain moments, they cannot be the heart and future of the team.
Former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter is rumoured to be the new manager of Manchester United. He is close to incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth, but his style of football may not be the perfect fit for this Manchester United team. The team had a clear imbalance in terms of technical tactics and personnel allocation, and could not adapt to the style of play in modern English football.
Over the past few years, United have undergone a number of manager changes and tactical changes, but the team's problems remain. They can't seem to shake off their inferiority complex and can't reach the level required by tradition and inheritance. Therefore, it is completely understandable that Ten Hag has opted to play defensively against a treble-winning side. In this case, it could be crazy to resort to any other strategy.
Although the United players gave their all in the game and fought for their manager, the team as a whole still looked weak. Of course, their situation could improve with the likes of Luke Shaw, Rasmus Hoyland and Lisandro Martinez on board. However, under the existing conditions, they can only rely on solidarity and hard work to strive for a better result. In the face of strong opponents, they stubbornly defended for a long time and at one point panicked their opponents.
Let's take a closer look at Marcus Rashford's goal-scoring shot. It was a truly stunning performance that amazed everyone. There was no doubt that at that moment, the whole of Manchester City seemed to reverberate with the echo of that shot. Interestingly, despite its brilliance, the goal did not justify Rashford and disprove doubts about his skills, as some had expected. On the contrary, there were some unexpected repercussions.
For Manchester United, they are not content to rely on the occasional 25-yard shot from one of their top players to save the pitch. What they are looking forward to is the consistent performance of the whole team. However, in the near term, such stability remains elusive and lacks strong proof. Faced with such a dilemma, fans may have no choice but to choose to return to the keyboard and type one emotion-filled text after another.
Despite this, United's fighting spirit has not been extinguished. They are still fully committed to every game. When the final whistle blew, the players couldn't hide their disappointment. It's not hard to imagine that it was Marcus Rashford's goal that ignited their hopes, only to be seen in the end of the game that sent them from the pinnacle of hope to the bottom of disappointment.
Ratcliffe has set Manchester United ambitious targets for a return to the top in three years. However, as time passed, that once peak seemed to become more and more obscure and difficult to reach. Perhaps, they only need to stop a little and look up to regain their once glorious goal.
On Sunday, Anfield will host a showdown of the pinnacle. The two leading teams will face off here, and this match will most likely decide the title of the season. The day before that, United will also face Everton at home. Against a relatively weak opposition, United will need to overcome their obvious competitive disadvantage and go all out to win.