LONDON, Dec 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Riddled with anxiety about Manchester City's
shocking decline, Pep Guardiola will endure another sleepless night as he
tries to pose more problems for Ruben Amorim in the Manchester United
manager's first taste of the Premier League's most explosive rivalry.

For the first time in years, City go into the Manchester derby mired in even
more turmoil than United after a dismal run of one win in 10 games in all
competitions.

Wednesday's 2-0 Champions League defeat at Juventus was City's seventh loss
in that period, an astonishing collapse for a club that has won six of the
last seven Premier League titles, including their current streak of four in a
row.

United are hardly in peak form themselves, having won just three of Amorim's
six games in charge since he replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag.

But Amorim has already inflicted one painful blow to Guardiola this season
when his Sporting side crushed City 4-1 in the Champions League in Lisbon on
November 5.

City squandered an early lead on that occasion, blown away by Viktor
Gyokeres' hat-trick as Amorim ruthlessly exposed the gaping holes in
Guardiola's ramshackle defence.

That chastening loss came just days before Amorim officially took charge at
Old Trafford and Guardiola would love to exact avenge at the Etihad Stadium
this weekend.

Whether Guardiola's injury-plagued team, whose confidence appears to be in
tatters, are in any shape to deliver a sixth win in their last seven league
meetings with United is another matter.

The strain of the worst run of his glittering managerial career is taking a
toll on Guardiola as well.

In an interview before the Juventus game, Guardiola said his state of mind
was "ugly", his sleep was "worse" and he was eating lighter as his digestion
has suffered during City's collapse.

On Friday, Guardiola, who recently signed a new two-year contract, insisted
he was "fine" despite the stress.

- 'In a better place than us ' -

"In our jobs we always want to do our best. When that doesn't happen you are
more uncomfortable than when the situation is going well," said Guardiola,
who could have just three fit defenders available on Sunday.

"In good moments I am happier but when I get to the next game I am still
concerned about what I have to do.

"There is no human being that makes an activity and it doesn't matter how
they do."

There is no question another loss to Amorim would be a huge blow for
Guardiola, whose fourth-placed side are eight points behind leaders
Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Yet Amorim has plenty of issues of his own to resolve after a rocky first
month in Manchester featuring only one league victory in four matches.

United are languishing in 13th place after successive league losses to
Arsenal and Nottingham Forest underlined the extent of the rebuilding job
faced by Amorim.

They struggled to find any fluency in a nervy 2-1 victory at minnows Viktoria
Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday.

Given United's mediocrity before and since his arrival, Amorim is in no
position to cast aspersions about City's woes.

"I never think about these things. We will face a great opponent and I'm more
focused on our problems, so we have a lot of issues here," he said.

"I'm more focused on what we should do on Sunday to win the game, so I'm
really focused on my team."

And the 39-year-old believes City are capable of hitting back if United allow
them to rediscover their rhythm amid the sound and fury of the derby.

"The great teams can respond in any moment. I think they are in a better
place than us in the type of understanding the game," he said.

"The way they play, the confidence they have. Even in these kind of moments."