Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, gestures as Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Manchester City FC at Old Trafford on April 06, 2025 in Manchester, England.placeholder image
Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, gestures as Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Manchester City FC at Old Trafford on April 06, 2025 in Manchester, England. | Getty Images
Pep Guardiola has enjoyed the majority of his games in charge of Man City v Man Utd, but not as much against Ruben Amorim, who will come out on top this time?
The two times that United finished second during this period, in 2017-18 and 2020-21, City won the league, only serving to rub salt further into the wounds. On each occasion the Red Devils were unable to push on and dropped to sixth the following year with City retaining the title on each occasion.
Man Utd’s record against Man City since Pep Guardiola took charge
Six Premier League trophies in nine seasons highlights City’s period of dominance under Guardiola whilst United chopped and changed managers both in terms of personnel and style.
That Ruben Amorim is the fifth manager in the opposite dugout to Guardiola on derby day tells its own story about how successful the recruitment policy has been at Old Trafford. Of the five managers, the one with the best record against City is the least experienced.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won four games to Guardiola’s three during their head to heads. If it wasn’t for Solskjaer, the seven wins against their bitter rivals since 2016 would probably be considerably lower.
In total there have been 22 derbies since the Spaniard arrived from Bayern Munich, only two have been drawn with Sunday’s home team winning 12 and United eight. Interestingly though, it is at the Etihad where United have had most joy, losing just once.
What might be a concern for Amorim though, is the goal difference of 38 goals scored by City with only 15 by United. The last victory between the two sides fell to United who came out on top with two late goals earning the away team a 2-1 win over a City side in the midst of a crisis last December.
City would lose eight out of 11 fixtures in a run that ultimately cost them any sort of title challenge and there is an opportunity for a similar amount of pressure to be ramped up on Guardiola given that his team only have one win out of three league fixtures so far this season.
What did Amorim and Guardiola say after last Etihad derby
Speaking after the defeat in December last year, Guardiola was far from happy and in reflective mood with an astonishing post match press conference, via Sky Sports: "They have to know that these situations happen. In the box you have to be careful. It's not about Matheus [Nunes, who conceded the penalty], he played really good in not his position at full-back. But it's not about that, we have to play better. The result will help us to take our best but right now we don't have it. The way I learn is to keep going.
"I'm not good enough. I am the boss, the manager, I have to find solutions and so far I haven't. That's the reality. We want to play better, create chances. But at the moment it's not possible."
Amorim on the other hand identified one key difference in his team, via United’s official website: “I think so, it’s hard to say now and I’m the coach of Manchester United. But I think we did a great job, we controlled Manchester City very well.
“We didn’t allow much, of course we don’t create so much either. But it was a divided game but I believe it was a lot different to Arsenal. We controlled the game against Arsenal in the first half but I didn’t feel that belief today I felt and I think that was the key point to change the game.” If United are to trouble City again, belief and attitude could be the deciding factor for whoever wants the three points.
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