The Red Devils will head to the Etihad Stadium confident of piling more misery on the champions, who are still very much in crisis
Manchester City are used to heading into the season's first derby as heavy favourites. Pep Guardiola's side have won five of their last six Premier League games against Manchester United, with three of those coming at Etihad Stadium, which has become a scene of regular humiliation for their local rivals.
A Kevin De Bruyne masterclass inspired City to a 4-1 rout of United in March 2022, and seven months later Erling Haaland netted a stunning hat-trick in his first derby to cap a 6-1 demolition job. Last season, the Red Devils took an early lead at the Etihad through a long-range Marcus Rashford strike, but City bounced back to win 3-1, posting 27 shots to the visitors' three while enjoying 72 percent of the possession.
There is no disputing the fact Manchester is blue these days, with Guardiola having turned City into a relentless winning machine as United have shirked from one disaster to the next in the wretched post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. A permanent power shift has taken place and the gulf between the two clubs has been growing year on year.
But as United prepare to make the short trip across Manchester to face the champions again on Sunday, there is a genuine sense of optimism instead of dread. That's because City are experiencing a shocking decline of their own right now, and Guardiola is set for another daunting battle with the man who effectively started it: Ruben Amorim.
Getty Images SportUnited finally have an identity
United's new manager has already changed the mood around Old Trafford, despite delivering very mixed results in his first month at the helm. Amorim inherited a squad sitting 13th in the Premier League, and four games later, they're still in the same position, with a 1-1 draw posted at relegation-fighting Ipswich alongside chastening defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
It's going to take time for the club to recover from Erik ten Hag's catastrophic reign, as Amorim has repeatedly acknowledged. "We are a massive club but we are not a massive team," the Portuguese said after watching his side go down 2-0 at Emirates Stadium last week. "We have to focus on the little details, then we will improve as a team."
That meticulous work on the training ground is paying off, to an extent. United are finally playing with a distinct identity again, with every move pre-meditated in Amorim's preferred 3-4-3 formation. The full potential of that system was unleashed against Everton on December 1, as the Red Devils romped to a 4-0 victory while implementing a relentless high press that ultimately overwhelmed Sean Dyche's team.
Improvement has also been seen in the Europa League, with United putting on another impressive attacking display to beat Bodo/Glimt 3-2 at home before seeing off Viktoria Plzen on Thursday night, with Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and two-goal super-sub Rasmus Hojlund all shining in Czechia. Basic defensive mistakes still need to be cut out, but it's clear the players are fully behind Amorim, who is so far living up to his reputation as the best young coach in Europe.
AdvertisementGettyCity's nightmare run
United are still very much looking up at City, who are sitting eight points above their neighbours in the Premier League table. But by City's usual standards, this season has been a complete nightmare.
Guardiola's men are eight points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more, and they've picked up just one win from their last 10 across all competitions. Incredibly, City have lost seven of those matches, including a 2-0 humbling at Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
In truth, they haven't been the same since losing Rodri to an ACL injury in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad in September. City have looked completely out of balance without the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, as both Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes have struggled to fill the void in the middle of the pitch.
Versatile winger Oscar Bobb is another long-term absentee, while John Stones, De Bruyne, Foden, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanj have also suffered fitness setbacks. But blaming City's form on injuries doesn't fly as an excuse for Guardiola considering the strength in depth at his disposal, with plenty of household names guilty of underperforming.
Erling Haaland has only scored four goals in his last nine appearances; woeful numbers for a striker of his calibre. The Norwegian has been largely drifting through games, but hasn't been helped by a lack of decent service, with City looking especially poor in wide areas. They've become far too predictable, with Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Savinho having all failed to offer proper width.
Meanwhile, Kyle Walker has been a major weak link in the backline and Ederson's spot as No.1 goalkeeper has come under threat because of his erratic decision-making. City have reached the lowest ebb of Guardiola's tenure, and it remains to be seen if the Catalan coach can get them back on track.
AFPPep's mask of composure has slipped
Guardiola's general behaviour has also been a cause for concern. He claimed "I want to harm myself" when appearing in front of the media with several scratches on his face after seeing City throw away a three-goal lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League, which led to a backlash from mental health groups.
After a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Guardiola drew comparisons with football's ultimate wind-up merchant Jose Mourinho for making a six-finger gesture to the home crowd, in reference to his Premier League title haul at the Etihad. And after more European disappointment against Juventus, Guardiola bizarrely rubbished Ilkay Gundogan's assessment that City are suffering from a loss of confidence.
“I am not agreeing with Ilkay,” he told reporters. “Of course it is tough but, except one or two games in this period, we’ve played good.” Guardiola appears to be doing his best impression of Ten Hag, who constantly tried to play down United's obvious, deep-rooted problems.
City haven't played well for a long time now; Guardiola is deluding himself if he really believes otherwise. The 53-year-old signed a two-year contract extension at the Etihad last month, but he'll be lucky to see out the season if City carry on down the same path.
Guardiola's mask of composure has slipped. He's coming across more desperate with each passing game and uncertainty is raging in the City dressing room as a consequence, with Amorim likely to be smelling blood.
Getty Images SportAlarm bells rung at Sporting
City went through their first 13 games of the season unbeaten, before being dumped out of the League Cup by Tottenham and losing for the first time in the Premier League away at Bournemouth. But the alarm bells really started ringing after their 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Sporting CP at Jose Alvalade Stadium on November 5.
Amorim's imminent departure to United had been confirmed in the days before kick-off, but he still had no problem motivating the Sporting squad in his final home game in charge. The Portuguese giants inflicted City's heaviest defeat since September 2020, with former Coventry City frontman Victor Gyokeres scoring a brilliant hat-trick to bag all the headlines.
However, the best goal of the game came from Maximiliano Javier Araujo, who finished off a beautiful team move that saw Sporting carve open City like a knife through butter. It was Amorim's philosophy coming to life in its purest form: quick, direct passing from back to front with players making intelligent runs away from their markers to open up space.
For the most part, though, Sporting sat deep, with their three-man defence becoming a back-five as they invited pressure. Amorim planned to kill City on the counter, and that's exactly what his team did. "When you lose 4-1 you have to congratulate Sporting and learn from that," Guardiola conceded. "We cannot argue – they won, they made good transitions, especially for two of their goals."