In the Premier League era, it is rare for a Manchester derby to take place in such a chaotic context for both Man City and Man United. However, the positions between Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim before this match are not the same.
The Citizens are said to be having a terrible season, having won only 1 of their last 10 matches in all competitions. However, remember, Guardiola's side have won the Premier League in six of the last seven campaigns.
Along with Sir Alex Ferguson, Guardiola is the greatest manager in Premier League history. However, his squad clearly needs to be rebuilt.
As for Amorim, the scale of reconstruction at Old Trafford is extremely large. The surprise departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth, after Man United made a huge effort to welcome him from Newcastle, was a sign of instability.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has brutally cut jobs and restructured the club. And now, they have to continue to be cruel in reshaping personnel. Amorim has used 26 different players to assess who fit his preferred 3-4-3 formation. In fact, there are still no signs of the "Red Devils" players adapting.
Rasmus Hojlund made a good impression in the "number 9" position, Amad Diallo also excellently completed his role. In addition, Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo also look like important pieces. However, the remaining positions, including all three centre-backs, could be replaced.
Man United will have a long way to go before they are ready to challenge for the title, and Amorim will need two or three more transfer windows to build the squad. Of course, the prerequisite is that the "Red Devils" are willing to spend money, in addition to complying with financial rules.
Clearly, the 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League is not enough to show the revival of Man United. This match even exposed many weaknesses of the "Red Devils".
This weekend, Man United will go to the Etihad with the belief that they can overthrow Man City, especially when the opponent is in a state of chaos. However, in terms of human quality, Man United is still far behind Man City, despite the injury situation of The Citizens.
In the long run, Man United's success or failure will depend on the transfer stage, an aspect that they have done very poorly for nearly 10 years. The current squad does not seem to be competitive enough to help Amorim think about the title and Man United need a strong reform.
