Ruben Amorim has rejected any comparisons regarding the pressure he and Pep Guardiola experience leading up to Sunday’s Manchester derby, asserting that it is a “joke” to make such comparisons, as he is under significantly more pressure than his counterpart. Although United enters this match positioned higher in the Premier League table than City for the first time in five years, Amorim dismissed the notion that Guardiola is under similar stress, given the City manager’s remarkable achievement of six league titles and a Champions League victory over the past nine years.
Amorim has been at the helm at Old Trafford since last November, and as he approaches a year in this role, there are uncertainties about whether the Portuguese coach will be the long-term answer. United has managed to secure only one victory in their four matches across all competitions this season, which came against relegation-threatened Burnley through a stoppage-time penalty. In contrast, City has suffered two losses in their first three league matches and will commence the game at the Etihad at least six points behind title contenders Liverpool, who could potentially extend that lead to nine points by that time.
“No, you cannot compare,” said Amorim of the pressure he and Guardiola face. “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. To compare me with the situation of Guardiola is just a joke. I think we have bigger problems. We continue to have bigger problems, but we’re addressing everything.
“Sometimes we’re frustrated and angry, but we’re facing all the problems and we’re trying to improve. I see the team playing so much better now. We just need to be more clinical to win more games and then things are going to get easier.”
Last season, Amorim managed to defeat Guardiola twice, once with Sporting in the Champions League and again with United in a thrilling derby. But the Red Devils still ended last season 15th in the table – their worst league finish in over half a century.
And Amorim, looking back on last year’s win at the Etihad, added: “It’s hard to point to a game last year that was a backfire. We had so many moments like that. We just focus on the future.
“We have four points. I think we should have more at this moment, but we need to be really competitive. It’s a very important game for everybody here, but especially for our fans, so we’ll try to do our best.”
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