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Ahead of Sundays derby, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, we examine how the balance of power has shifted in Manchester - and what Pep Guardiolas arrival could mean for the rivalry… Pep Guardiola to City may have been footballs worst kept secret but the confirmation of his move to the Etihad Stadium in February still sent reverberations around the red half of Manchester. Adrian Dantley Jazz Jersey .As City were tying up a three-year contract for the most successful coach on the planet and a man famed for his thrilling attacking football, United were in the midst of a haphazard plod through the season which has left their under-pressure manager Louis van Gaal looking increasingly forlorn. It was an alarming contrast. Fast forward six weeks and the Guardiola announcement appears to have done little to aid Citys title challenge under the outgoing Manuel Pellegrini, but on Super Sunday they have the opportunity to open up a seven-point gap on their neighbours, and after Uniteds Europa League exit against Liverpool, the spotlight is firmly fixed on Old Trafford once again. Pep Guardiola will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the end of the season Just twenty-four hours prior to United and Liverpool going head to head on Thursday night, Citys next manager had emerged from Bayern Munichs Champions League last-16 tie against Juventus with his reputation in tact thanks to an extraordinary salvage job in Bavaria.The hosts were in deep trouble at 2-0 down, but a four-goal response sent Guardiola into the Champions League quarter-finals for his seventh consecutive season as a manager. Not once has he fallen short of the last four. Nor has he ever finished a domestic season outside of the top two. It is statistics such as those that make Guardiolas imminent move to City appear all the more galling for United. Here is a coach capable of laying the foundations for years of Premier League dominance. How could Ed Woodward and the Old Trafford hierarchy have allowed their bitter rivals to swoop ahead of them?For their part, United insist there was no attempt to hijack the move, but if Van Gaal is relieved of his duties in the summer, widespread reports suggest Jose Mourinho will be the man they turn to. The former Chelsea manager has plenty of experience of going toe-to-toe with Guardiola, after all, and enjoyed sweet victories over the Catalan with both Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Mourinho and Man Utd A timeline of events involving Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Manchester United. Regardless of who is in charge of United next season, however, they are already playing a daunting game of catch-up with their neighbours. Few could have envisaged just how far the Reds would fall after Sir Alex Fergusons retirement in 2013, but City finished 22 points clear of them in 2013/14, and they were nine clear in 2014/15. United have endured a poor Premier League season under Louis van Gaal The gap is down to four points ahead of Sundays derby, but that is hardly due to progress at Old Trafford. And while Citys title challenge has faltered, they are still in Champions League contention and have already lifted the Capital One Cup. Uniteds only hope of silverware, meanwhile, hinges on an awkward FA Cup quarter-final replay away to West Ham.With Guardiola in charge and the promise of unlimited backing in the transfer market, it is difficult to envisage anything over than considerable improvement at City next year. Defence and central midfield are areas in need of improvement, but the level of surgery required is nothing compared to Uniteds. Hart v De Gea Which goalkeeper will come out on top in the Manchester derby? Injuries have exposed shortcomings in practically every area of Van Gaals squad, with the manager forced to thrust untested youngsters into the fray due to a glaring lack of depth and quality in the senior ranks.United can take heart from the emergence of teenagers such as Marcus Rashford and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, but repeated mistakes in the transfer market have taken a heavy toll over the last 18 months, with the brilliant form of Angel di Maria and Javier Hernandez at PSG and Bayer Leverkusen ramming the point home. Javier Hernandez has scored 23 goals for Bayer Leverkusen this season And while Guardiolas stay in Manchester may not extend beyond the three years of his contract, Citys huge investment in a new youth academy and state-of-the-art training facilities shows long-term preparation the like of which cannot be seen on the other side of the city - where a confused transfer policy points to muddled thinking.Citys long-term planning and strategy is clear, so is their succession planning, said Sky Sports News HQs James Cooper in February. In truth thats borne out by the building of the City Football Academy and the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance. How City persuaded Pep Sky Sports News HQs James Cooper explains how Man City lured Pep Guardiola to the Etihad. So while United grapple with decisions over their immediate future, City are already grooming Guardiolas successor. The New York City FC post is something of a job interview for Patrick Vieira, added Cooper. He is being seriously looked at as the next manager of the club after Guardiolas three years.With Guardiola on his way to City and given their own current malaise, its easy to see why United might turn to Mourinho. The 53-year-old is one of few coaches with a CV to rival the Bayern boss, and his trophy haul includes three Premier League crowns, two Champions Leagues and - most significantly - a La Liga title won at the expense of his old foe. Jose Mourinho has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United But what of the long-term? Mourinho talked of creating a dynasty at Chelsea, however his managerial stints tend to unravel spectacularly - and his return to Stamford Bridge was no exception. Transforming United back into major contenders would be his toughest challenge yet, and history highlights the risks involved.The outcome of Sundays derby could have a significant impact on how United finish the season and it could also influence their decision-making over the coming months. Whatever the result, though, it is impossible to escape the reality that only one of the Manchester sides is primed for long-term success. United are in danger of being left behind.Watch the Manchester derby live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm on Sunday. Also See: Giggs: Martial the model Hart v De Gea Aguero: Title slipping away When Geoff met Martial and Sterling Rudy Gobert Jazz Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Donovan Mitchell Jazz Jersey . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. http://www.jazzauthentic.com/ .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. ATHENS, Ga. -- Yante Maten scored a game-high 19 points, J.J. Frazier added 18 points and Georgia never trailed to beat UNC-Asheville 60-46 Monday night.Georgias win marked the 250th coaching victory for Mark Fox, now in his eighth season. Fox is 127-104 at Georgia.We showed more poise, I thought we competed better, but were at home, said Fox, who has won seven of eight home openers at Georgia. Weve got to be able to deal with adverse situations on the road and adverse environments. ... Tonight we played better basketball and that is progress, which is good.Frazier tallied a 3-pointer at the 17:57 mark of the first half to record his 1,000th career point for Georgia (1-1). Frazier became the 47th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark.Its another win and another basket made, Frazier said. Im grateful to be healthy enough to play this long, but Ive been here four years so it was about time I got to it.UNCA (0-2) got double-digit scoring from Ahmad Thomas, who finished with 13 points, and Macio Teague, who added 11 points.Georgia shot 40 percent from the field (22 of 55) while UNCA managed 34 percent (20 of 59). UNCA also lagged behind on the boards as Georgia held a 45-29 edge on the glass, including 34 defensive rebounds.Usually its about boxing out and going to get it, pretty much, said Maten, who led Georgia with nine rebounds.UNCA collected 17 bench points to Georgias six. The only other areas where UNCA was able to keep up with Georgia were in the lane, where it posted 22 points in the paint compared to Georgias 24, and in the turnover department, where UNCA recorded 11 to Georgias 17 and posted 13 points off its opponents miscues.I was really happy with the way we took care of the basketball, certainly when looking at the turnover mmargin, UNCA coach Nick McDevitt said. Pete Maravich Jazz Jersey. I was really happy with our ability to take care of the ball and how hard we were playing. We just couldnt get anything to fall. Some of them were ill-advised shots, but for the most part, I thought we were taking open looks by guys that can shoot the basketball.Georgia cleared its bench by games end, with seven of 14 players reaching the scoring column, including freshman Jordan Harris, whose first collegiate shot attempt was a 3-pointer in the second half.BIG PICTUREGeorgia: After falling in their season opener Friday night at Clemson, Georgia bounces back with a decisive victory over UNCAUNCA: The Bulldogs are still looking for their first win of the season after losing back to back games.AUGUST COMPANYFrazier is the 47th Georgia player to hit 1,000 points and is the sixth player under Mark Fox to reach the mark, joining Charles Mann (1,411 points), Trey Thompkins (1,396), Kenny Gaines (1,324), Nemi Djurisic (1,123), Travis Leslie (1,099) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (1,013).QUOTABLEWe have to see how it evolves. Some guys may be ready to take a step forward and some guys may not. But its nice to have some depth and were going to need some options. Georgia coach Mark Fox on employing all 14 of his players Monday.UP NEXTGeorgia: The Bulldogs will remain at home and will seek to improve to 2-1 on Thursday when they host Furman at 7 p.m. Georgia leads the all-time series 22-4 and is 13-1 against the Paladins in Stegeman Coliseum.UNCA: The Bulldogs will try to keep from starting the season at 0-3 when it travels to Spartanburg, SC, on Thursday to square off against USC Upstate. ' ' '