Manchester United's problems this season are bigger than Manchester City's, says Ruben Amorim

11 December 2024, 14:04 | Updated: 15 December 2024, 15:58

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim insists his side have bigger problems than Manchester City despite their rivals' underwhelming form.

City, who host United live on Sky in a 4.30pm kick-off on Sunday, are experiencing their worst run of form since Pep Guardiola took control of the club in 2016.

The Premier League champions have won just once in their last 10 games in all competitions in a spell that also saw them lose five in a row.

United's fortunes have only been slightly better after a stuttering start under new boss Amorim. The Reds lost their last two Premier League games against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, but battled back to beat Viktoria Plzen on Thursday in the Europa League to give Amorim his third win in six games. Despite City's troubles, though, Amorim believes they remain a threat.

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"They are so good at what they do, that they can change this momentum any time," Amorim told Sky Sports.

"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 earned his first scalp against Guardiola's City in November as Sporting boss. Sporting's 4-1 victory against City in the Champions League gave them what was, at the time, their third consecutive defeat during their winless run.

However, for Amorim, that Sporting victory doesn't have any bearing on the derby. Instead, United's boss is relishing the opportunity to see how his side react to the big-match atmosphere.

He said: "We can't use so much from that [Sporting] 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 will mark his first full month in charge at Old Trafford having played nine matches in 30 days. With little time in training to teach a change in system, Amorim has reiterated the need for patience during the club's transition period.

"This should be like a pre-season, where I get to know my players but we do this in competition," Amorim said.

"You always have surprises. You have an idea of a player and you have one or two surprises in good and bad ways.

"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."

Merson: Man Utd can cause problems in City's 'biggest match'

Paul Merson has labelled Sunday's Manchester derby as City's "biggest match" - but believes Manchester United have a chance to cause an upset.

"Over the last few years, it hasn't been Man City's biggest game," Merson said. "No disrespect to Man Utd, but when they've played Arsenal or Liverpool, those have been their biggest matches.

"But this weekend, this is their biggest football match. This is a huge cup final.

"Man Utd kept Arsenal very quiet at the Emirates a few weeks ago. If they can do that this weekend, I think they've got a chance. I'd go [Marcus] Rashford, Amad [Diallo] and [Alejandro] Garnacho up front and play pace, skill and guile.

"There's not a lot of strength between those three, but they have the pace on the counter-attack to cause Man City major problems. If it goes that way, I can see Man City having a difficult day.

"But I never go against Man City, even on this run. They've got too many good players."

The Radar: Amorim's blueprint for beating City

Sky Sports' Nick Wright:

Manchester United go to the Etihad Stadium as underdogs, despite Manchester City's dismal form. But Ruben Amorim knows what it takes to beat them. It was only last month that he masterminded a 4-1 win over Pep Guardiola's men in the Champions League.

His Sporting side were one of the first to exploit Manchester City's weaknesses this season, targeting their soft centre without Rodri and tearing through it using quick and direct attacks spearheaded by the devastating Victor Gyokeres, who ended up with a hat-trick.

According to Opta, Manchester City have allowed 47 fast breaks in all competitions this season. Amazingly, it is nearly 70 per cent more than any other Premier League side. They also rank top in terms of shots faced (41) and goals conceded (six) from fast breaks.

Without the right level of physical dynamism among his available midfield options, Guardiola seems unable to fix the problem, exemplified by the sight of the ageing Ilkay Gundogan failing to even get close to Weston McKennie in the build-up to that second Juventus goal.

Breaking down a low block was once described by Guardiola's old rival Jurgen Klopp as "the most difficult thing to do" in football but it is something Manchester City are facing with increasing regularity as their opponents use defensive compactness to frustrate them.

It is not difficult to imagine how Manchester United will set up, Amorim's back three becoming a back five as they aim to soak up pressure and frustrate Manchester City while Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and the rest wait for opportunities to spring forward on the counter...