Man City v Man Utd: The sub-plots behind Sunday’s derby
It’s easy to feel that City’s ship could right itself with relative ease.
“Without the injuries, I don’t know where we would be, but I can imagine,” Guardiola said. “I can’t prove it, but everyone thinks we would be a better team.”
The Manchester City boss also insisted he had no regrets about signing a two-year contract extension last month after his side had just lost four games in a row.
He said: “If I thought I was leaving when the club was in this situation, I wouldn’t be able to sleep and it would be even worse than it is now. It’s impossible.”
“They might fire me, that might happen. But to leave this position now? No chance.”
“We have a lot to do; get into the market at the right time, maybe in the winter, maybe some other time, to make the squad bigger so they compete with each other and make the players better.
“Nothing lasts forever. You have to be honest. If I lose, and lose, and lose more and more, eventually I’m going to say, ‘Guys, you’ve got to find someone else to fix this.'”
For Manchester United, the problem is more complex. “We have a lot of problems,” Amorim commented. “They (Manchester City) are in a better situation than we are.”
United have been beaten badly on their last three visits to the Etihad Stadium and most neutrals will feel City have extra quality.
However, Manchester City is not without concerns. Guardiola’s old friend Tesiki Begiristain will leave this summer and be replaced by Sporting CP technical director Hugo Viana, putting Guardiola at odds with Amorim after years of working together.
What’s more, their massive financial case is coming to an end, which threatens to bring uncertainty to negotiations over transfer targets, even if City continue to insist they have done nothing wrong.
In the short term, if Manchester United wins the derby, Manchester City will fall out of the top four.
Regardless of the result, Manchester United will remain in the bottom half.
Judging from the title, it has almost no relevance compared to the previous games. But given their respective fortunes, illustrious pasts and uncertain futures, that’s what makes it so compelling.
