Ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated Manchester Derby, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has dismissed comparisons between his situation at Old Trafford and that of his counterpart, Pep Guardiola, at Manchester City, calling the idea “a joke.”
Both Manchester clubs have had a difficult start to the Premier League season. Manchester United sits in 11th place with 4 points from three games, while Manchester City is currently in 16th with 3 points from three games, having suffered back-to-back league defeats.
Despite their similar struggles, Amorim believes he is under far greater scrutiny than Guardiola, whose years of past success at the Etihad Stadium provide him with a significant buffer from pressure.
“No, you cannot compare,” Amorim said in a pre-match interview. “The guy is winning all the time. He can relax if he’s not winning anymore. I have to prove myself every day here and I feel that. So I’m really comfortable with that and I think that every day that I come here, that I have to do better.”
The Portuguese coach, who was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 2024, has been tasked with rebuilding the club and returning them to the top tier of English football. In contrast, Guardiola, who has been with City since 2016, is Manchester City’s most successful manager in history, with 18 major titles to his name.
The Manchester Derby at Old Trafford is expected to be an intense affair as both teams look to reverse their fortunes. For Amorim, a victory would ease the growing pressure and offer United fans a statement performance. For Guardiola, the match is an opportunity to halt his side’s slide and reassert their dominance in the league.
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