Manchester City and Manchester United prepared for their derby match on December 15 as two sides both enduring difficult seasons. And yet, it seems, the Red Devils remain the team with “bigger problems”.
That was the view of both head coach Ruben Amorim and former captain Gary Neville as they assessed the challenge United face when it comes to defeating their city rivals and the reigning Premier League champions.
City were on a run of one win in 10 in all competitions prior to their 195th meeting with United — the sort of form Pep Guardiola has never before experienced in his managerial career — but the Red Devils still began the day eight places and eight points worse off than their neighbours.
United, who replaced Erik ten Hag with Amorim in November after a defeat to West Ham, have won six of their 10 matches since that 2-1 loss at the London Stadium. However, neither Neville nor Amorim seem to feel that being in slightly better form that City means they are a match for Guardiola’s side.
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Gary Neville brands Man United ‘different level of bad’
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville claimed United are still in a far worse position that City. Previewing the game, he said: “Those who’ve been watching United quite a lot in the last few months will still think United will be up against it.
“I’d be surprised if City didn’t win, as bad as they’ve been the last few weeks, as below par. I think United are at a different level of bad at this moment in time, and I think that, still, there’s a lot to do.”
It’s a view with which Amorim seemed to agree. He said to Sky Sports that City “are so good at what they do, that they can change this momentum any time”, adding: “They are a very strong team with a lot of years working together. They won a lot but also lost a lot. We have a bigger problem because we are working on simple things, but we want to win like Manchester City.”
Amorim is feeling the pressure of having to get used to his new surroundings — and stamp his methods on the squad — all while trying to salvage United’s season.
“This should be like a preseason, where I get to know my players but we do this in competition. You always have surprises. You have an idea of a player and you have one or two surprises in good and bad ways,” he said.
“I already know it is a big job. It will take time. Forget me as a coach; the club needs time. That’s an important thing that everybody has to understand and we have to focus on every detail: not just the result, we want to win, but we have to improve a lot.”
