Manchester City and Manchester United face a rebuild but, despite a slow start, have they shown signs of hope for the new season? The Manchester derby takes place at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday, live on Sky, kick-off 4.30pm.
William Bitibiri
Pictured: Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim meet in the Manchester derby, live on Sky Sports.
The winds of change are blowing through Manchester.
Manchester City and Manchester United meet at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, after which the validity of their changes will be further examined.
For the first time in four seasons, the Premier League trophy is in another home. Pep Guardiola is tasked with reclaiming what has belonged to City on six of the last eight occasions, but he finds himself in an awkward position.
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United are all too familiar with promises of rebuilding. Ruben Amorim is the sixth time the Old Trafford club has asked for a manager to restore their former glory.
At the same time, Guardiola, after nine years – the longest period at his club – is carrying out another reboot in order to return to the former successes for the first time in his entire coaching career.
On the other hand, Amorim has yet to prove that his footballing concepts can bear fruit and convince fans that a record-low 15th place in the Premier League was just a blip in his first full season at the helm.
Positivity sprouts for Amorim's Manchester United
United have had a slow start to the new season. Despite losing to Arsenal in their opening game of the season, there was a positive mood. Old habits had set in as United let a lead slip away at Fulham and a disgraced League Cup tie at Grimsby in League Two left both the fans and Amorim wondering whether he could continue in charge.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has responded to his comments following the League Cup defeat to Grimsby Town.
After the penalty shootout defeat to Grimsby, the Portuguese manager said “something has to change”, implying that the players could not afford to speculate about his future. Amorim retracted his comments a few days later, putting them down to emotion: “Sometimes I want to leave, sometimes I want to stay here for 20 years.”
This disappointment may be due to the fact that United are doing the right thing but are not picking up the points or results to show progress. United have scored just one goal from open play this season, but the overall statistics look much more favourable to United.
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Manchester United midfield legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt give their views on the club under Amorim this season and agree a return to their halcyon days is still a long way off.
The season has only just begun but Amorim's side have scored more expected goals, had more shots and created more chances than any other side in the Premier League this season, suggesting a freer, more fluid attack.
United have also hit the post four times in their opening three games as their revamped forward line looks to improve on their return.
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The arrival of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo has seen United play with more expression in attack, but there is also a greater emphasis on a more direct style and United also lead the Premier League in accurate long passes.
The signs of improvement extend to United's newfound fighting spirit, an aspect of their game that has often come under fire. Only one team has won more duels and aerial duels than United this season.
Amorim will be desperate to see their promising numbers translate into victories. United's win at Burnley before half-time was sorely needed, but the Manchester derby offers another chance to prove their worth.
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Paul Merson was unimpressed by Manchester United's celebrations in the final minutes of their win over Burnley.
Guardiola is the only current manager Amorim have faced more than once in the Premier League and remain unbeaten.
Amorim have beaten Guardiola twice in the 2024-25 season, the first time a 4-1 Champions League triumph over Sporting days before taking over at Old Trafford. Amad scored a late winner for Amorim at the Etihad last December, after the Manchester derby they last met in April ended goalless.
Urban blues creep into the new season
City's unprecedented slump in form last season has taken the club into uncharted territory. Guardiola's lowest ever trophy-less campaign last term prompted a summer rebuild. But the team's problems have carried over into the new season, with Guardiola making his worst start to the league since 2008.
Kevin De Bruyne's departure heralded a new era at the Etihad. Summer signings James Trafford, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ryan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijani Reynders joined January arrivals Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmouche, among others, to create a new-look City side under new director of football Hugo Viana.
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Gianluigi Donnarumma is optimistic about winning trophies with Manchester City and is looking forward to working under new manager Pep Guardiola.
However, with only one Premier League win to their credit so far, the 'new Manchester City' have had a shaky start to the season.
The changes to the coaching staff appear to have had some effect. Former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has joined Guardiola on the bench alongside Kolo Toure. Lijnders, a former right-hand man under Jurgen Klopp, has made a name for himself in Liverpool’s dynamic and energetic approach.
Jamie Carragher has praised City's “rock 'n' roll” approach, similar to that of Klopp's Liverpool, after City's convincing first-leg win over Wolves.
“There was a feeling throughout the game, particularly in the first half, that everyone was just obsessed with catching the other team offside,” Carragher said on Monday Night Football.
We always knew that Pep's team likes to attack. We all understand that, but this was something else. It makes me wonder about Pep Lijnders' influence on offsides.
If you look at Liverpool, if you look at Pep Lijnders, how many goals Liverpool scored on the counterattack when [Sadio] Mane and [Mohamed] Salah were up front. And when I looked at Rejnders' goal in the game, it was fantastic.
“But one of the goals was more of a counter-attack than a Pep Guardiola-style goal. They scored and then they left.”
The change in approach is clear. With Cherki's arrival and Oscar Bobb's return, the emphasis on individual play has become a little greater and City have executed more attacks than any other Premier League team.
Despite Rodri's return to fitness, City appeared to struggle to control the game, throwing away an early lead at Brighton and succumbing to Thomas Frank's indomitable Tottenham. It is this sense of lack of control that will most worry Guardiola ahead of the derby.
What can this result tell us?
United are facing a derby win over City for the first time in five years, but that does not ease the sense of unease that currently surrounds Old Trafford.
The absence of City key players Marmouche and Cherki will give confidence, while Amorim's performance against Guardiola and City's only win in their last four meetings – a shootout victory in the Community Shield last season – are also worth noting.
The derby is known to be the great equaliser, but when both teams are equally unimpressive, victory becomes a must for both managers, which may indicate that their rebuilds are justified.
Sourse: skysports.com
