Manchester United travel across the city to the Etihad this afternoon to take on local rivals Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side have lost seven, drawn two and won one of their last 10 games, with them finding themselves outside the top four in the Premier League and struggling to remain even in the play-off positions in the Champions League, currently one point above those sides that will be exiting the competition.
Ahead of the derby, new United manager Ruben Amorim has spoken about City’s struggles to Sky Sports, while acknowledging United have their own issues.
> They are so good at what they do, that they can change this momentum any time. 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. It’s a game where both teams aren’t living the greatest moment of the season but it’s always a derby and we want to win it.
Amorim oversaw one of the seven recent defeats City have endured, with a 4-1 win over Guardiola’s team in the Champions League last month. However, Amorim says that result has little to do with Sunday’s fixture.
> We can’t use so much from that game but it helped us to understand the game and feel the game really close. We have so much to do, not just in the game. But we are looking at the way we will play. I’m excited to see the behaviour of our players, in this kind of game – to learn a lot about our players.
Amorim has again stressed that he needs time at the club to make the required improvements.
> This should be like a pre-season, 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.
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> 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.
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