Guardiola and Amorim Exchange Smiles, but Frustration Remains

Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim share a warm exchange after the match, but their frustration with their teams' performances is evident.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim acknowledged that his team needs significant improvement after a dull 0-0 draw against Manchester City in the derby. City's Champions League hopes remain uncertain as they sit fifth in the Premier League, just two points above Newcastle, who have two games in hand. United, on the other hand, languish in 13th place, despite having the better of the match, which was limited in chances.

“We have so many aspects to improve. Everywhere we need to improve in every aspect: build up, transition, decisions in the final third,” Amorim said. “Every player can improve; they are here because they showed something at other clubs. They have the quality, but we are still a team that plays on transition, we need to spend more time in final third to have more opportunities.” Amorim's comments highlight the need for his team to enhance their performance in various areas to become more competitive.

Manchester City and Manchester United have never both finished outside the top four in the Premier League era, but that record is under threat as both teams struggle in the current season. The derby match between the two sides was a contest lacking quality, intensity, and fight, reflecting the poor form of both teams. City's dominance has waned, and they risk missing out on a top-four finish for the first time since 2009/10, while United's only hope for Champions League qualification is winning the Europa League.

“We just need to have a bit more of a killer instinct,” said United captain Bruno Fernandes. “In the first half, we had too many touches when we just needed one. We were patient, very organised, but the killer instinct was missing today.” Fernandes' comments highlight United's problem in front of goal, which was also evident in their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday. The Red Devils have shown glimpses of improvement this week, but their inability to score is a major concern.

Kevin De Bruyne started his final season at City just days after announcing his departure, but his performance was a shadow of his former self. Despite City dominating possession, United were the more threatening side on the counter-attack in a lackluster first half. “We were not good enough to punish them or hurt them a little bit more than what happened,” said Guardiola. 

A reminder that Ruben Amorim has already beaten Pep Guardiola's Man City twice this season 👀

Will he make it three from three today?#MUNMCI pic.twitter.com/U7lpRKE0J8

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 6, 2025

The match picked up slightly after the break, with Phil Foden having the game's best chance just seconds after half-time, but he fluffed his lines with only Andre Onana to beat. Omar Marmoush's powerful effort from a corner stung the palms of Onana, and the introduction of Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount off the bench added more thrust to the United attack in the final 20 minutes. Both had a chance to win it, with Zirkzee's shot being clawed away by Ederson, and Rico Lewis doing well to get in the way of Mount's follow-up effort.

Despite the warm exchange between Guardiola and Amorim at full-time, neither manager can be happy with the state of their teams after a disappointing campaign. The smile on their faces belied the frustration they must feel about their teams' performances this season.