The boss of Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, insists that his team has bigger problems than Manchester City despite the form of their opponents.
City, who travel to Old Trafford on Sunday for the Manchester Derby – live on Skyare experiencing their worst run of form since Pep Guardiola took control of the club in 2016.
The Premier League champions have won just once in their last 10 games in all competitions in a spell that has also seen them lose five in a row.
United's fortunes haven't improved much after a strong start under new boss Amorim. The Reds lost their last two Premier League games against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, but fought back to beat Viktoria Plzen on Thursday in the Europa League to give Amorim his third win in the six games. Despite City's lack of luck though, Amorim believes Guardiola's side are still a threat.
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Sky Sports' Peter Smith explains why United head coach Ruben Amorim has reshuffled his starting XI
“They are so good at what they do, they can change this trend at any time,” Amorim said. Sky Sports.
“They are a very strong team with many years working together. They won a lot but they also lost a lot. We have a bigger problem because we are working on simple things but we want to win like Manchester City.
“It's a game where both teams aren't alive at the biggest moment of the season but it's always a Derby and we want to win it.
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Speaking on NBC Sports, Gary Neville believes that rotation, especially changing the back line, will not help fix United's problems.
Amorim won his first scalp against Guardiola's City in November as Sport boss. Sporting's 4-1 win against City in the Champions League handed them what was then their third successive defeat in their winless run.
However, for Amorim, the Sporting victory has no bearing on the upcoming derby, instead, the United boss is relishing the opportunity to see how his team reacts in the derby atmosphere .
“We can't use that much from that game (Sports) but it helped us understand the game and feel that the game is very close.
“We have so much to do, not only in the game. But we are looking at how we play. I am excited to see the behavior of our players, in a game like this – to learn a lot about our players.”
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Speaking on the Transfer Talk podcast, Sam Tighe explains how United's lack of budget is less of a concern given Ruben Amorim's history of developing players and putting square pegs in round holes '.
Amorim will mark his first full month in charge of Old Trafford after making nine appearances in 30 days. With little time in training to teach a change in system, Amorim has reiterated the need for patience during the club's transition period.
“This should be a pre-season, where I get to know my players but we will do this in a competition,” Amorim said.
“You're always surprised. You have an idea of a player and you have a couple of surprises in good and bad ways.
“I already know it's a big job, it will take time. Don't forget me as a coach, the club needs time. That is an important thing that everyone needs to understand and we need to focus on all the details. It's not just the result, we want to win but we have to improve a lot.”
