MANCHESTER, England (AP) — A climate of crisis hangs over the first Manchester derby of the season.
Four-time defending Premier League champion Manchester City is in freefall.
Meanwhile, the great reset at Manchester United under British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has hit new lows on the field and major disruption off it.
Defeat for either team at Etihad Stadium on Sunday is unthinkable as their respective campaigns rapidly unravel.
“Of course I question myself, but I’m stable in good moments and bad moments," City manager Pep Guardiola said after his team's latest loss against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday. “Our game will save us. We can do it.”
This is unchartered territory for serial winner Guardiola, who is enduring the worst run of his coaching career after seven losses and only one win in City's last 10 games in all competitions.
The 2-0 loss to Juventus left the 2023 Champions League winner in danger of missing out on qualification for the knockout phase.
Domestically, City is eight points behind leader Liverpool in England's top flight, having played a game more. A record-extending fifth league title looks increasingly unlikely and the gap to Liverpool could be 11 points by the time the derby kicks off on Sunday.
If it's bad for City, it's a lot worse for United.
The record 20-time English champion's troubles have continued despite the optimism sparked by victory against City in last season's FA Cup final and an overhaul of the club's soccer operations following Ratcliffe's partial takeover in February.
A turbulent start to the campaign saw United fire manager Erik ten Hag and replace him with Ruben Amorim. Further disruption came last week with confirmation that sporting director Dan Ashworth departed after less than six months in the role following a lengthy process to prise him away from Newcastle.
Ratcliffe — owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS and one of Britain's richest people — paid $1.3 billion for a 27.7% stake in United with the bold target of returning it to the summit of English and European soccer. A number of executive hires have been made and more than $200 million spent on transfers in the offseason, yet United made its worst start to a Premier League and is 13th in the standings, eight points behind fourth-placed City.
Amorim, who won two Portuguese league titles with Sporting Lisbon, has quickly realized the size of the task on his hands after back-to-back league defeats going into Sunday's game.
He at least has fond recent memories of facing Guardiola, having thrashed City 4-1 in November in one of his final games in charge of Sporting.
It was a perfect way to announce himself to United fans, having already agreed to take over at Old Trafford before that game. But he has called for patience as he tries to turn around the club's fortunes.
“I already knew it was a big job," Amorim said, "and I have a long way to go.”
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Robson, The Associated Press
