Ruben Amorim offers explanation for underwhelming Manchester derby draw
- Man Utd battled to 0-0 draw with Man City on Sunday
- Game lacked quality from either side
- Amorim suggests teams' poor seasons contributed to dull affair
By Tom Gott
Ruben Amorim has suggested Sunday's derby between Manchester United and Manchester City was harmed by both sides' poor seasons thus far.
The latest instalment of the Manchester derby ended in an underwhelming 0-0 draw and featured just two big chances across the 90 minutes, and few players on the pitch appeared disappointed to share the points with their local rivals after the final whistle.
Sarcastically described as Kevin De Bruyne's testimonial in the wake of the City playmaker's announcement of his imminent departure, the game never really got going and United head coach Amorim suggested the low stakes involved contributed to the disappointing showing.
"Both teams aren't fighting for the title – that changed the game," he explained. "You can make a funny game but that feeling of not losing a point and winning every game at home is not here. It's hard to say that.
"We need to fight for big things. If we were fighting for big things the feeling would be completely different. You'd feel the urgency that you didn't feel today because both teams have lots of doubts."
On the line for City was a boost to their hopes of finishing in the top four - below their pre-season expectations but a real uncertainty given their mid-season dip. Pep Guardiola's side remain fifth, one point behind Chelsea.
United, on the other hand, have very little to play for domestically. Nothing but pride is on the line for a Red Devils outfit which climbed back up to 13th and still has a negative goal difference (-4) after 31 games.
"I can see it," Amorim reflected on his team's performance. "The connections. The players are more comfortable in the positions. We can find players between the lines and are calm with the ball. We are better but we have a lot to improve.
"I'm not naïve or crazy. I understand looking at the opponents there is a big gap but as a leader I can't say we're going to take a lot of time. You have to feel urgency, to hurry to do something better. At a club like ours you don't have a lot of time. We are in a rush, that is clear."
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