Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the appointment of Ruben Amorim won’t necessarily lead to rivals Manchester United improving their fortunes.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Tottenham game, Guardiola said that the Red Devils have had plenty of great coaches in recent years but a lot depends on the whole club changing its approach too:
“I hear that Man United are thinking about him, it’s because he’s a good manager. Man United don’t appoint managers who aren’t that level so the last five, six, seven years, we cannot say they are not able to lead Man United.”
“What’s going to happen I don’t know, because what happened here in my experience here, doesn’t mean it works for the other ones. Everyone is everyone, the manager is the team, the club, the structures, the physios, the doctors, the players, it’s many things. What happened here doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in another place.”
Guardiola’s record against United as City manager
It’s fair to say that it has been a pretty one-sided rivalry since Guardiola was appointed head coach of the Cityzens in 2016.
The Catalan has won 13, drawn 2 and lost 8 of his games against United over the years. It is not a record that you would describe as dominant in terms of the head-to-head but the two teams are worlds apart when it comes to league finishes and trophies.
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles, finishing 2nd and 4th in his other two seasons as manager. During the same period, United have finished 2nd twice, 3rd twice, 6th three times and 8th last season.
Amorim was not in contention for the City job
There was speculation in the Portuguese media earlier this month that the Amorim could have succeeded Guardiola at the Etihad. It was suggested that new Director of Football Hugo Viana was advocating his appointment.
However, it has subsequently emerged that Amorim was never in the frame for the job, mainly due to the system he plays.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
