Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim remains defiant despite a 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City. With the team’s worst start since 1992-93, Amorim insists he won’t change his approach. Players like Bruno Fernandes acknowledge the need for improvement and better chance conversion, highlighting preventable goals.
Ruben Amorim, the Manchester United boss, has declared he will not alter his approach despite the Red Devils' humbling 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City. The derby loss has intensified scrutiny on Amorim, but the Portuguese manager remains steadfast in his philosophy.
The game at the Etihad Stadium saw Phil Foden open the scoring with a first-half header, followed by an Erling Haaland brace in the second half, sealing a comfortable victory for the Citizens and leaving United reeling.
Manchester United's disappointing start to the season continues, with only four points secured from their opening four Premier League games. This marks their worst start to a league campaign since the 1992-93 season, a statistic that further piles pressure on Amorim.
Since Amorim took the reins last November, Manchester United have found themselves at the bottom of the Premier League's form table based on points accumulated. In his 31 league games in charge, the team has managed only eight wins, a record that falls short of the club's lofty expectations.
Among managers who have overseen 20 or more games in the English top flight, only Alfred Albut (20%) and Scott Duncan (24%) possess a lower win ratio than Amorim's 26% at Manchester United. This places him in unfavorable company, as he struggles to replicate the success expected at Old Trafford.
“I accept it is not a record you should have at Manchester United,” Amorim acknowledged in an interview with Sky Sports. He added, “There are a lot of things where you have no idea what has happened. But I am not going to change my philosophy. I play my way, and I am going to play my way.”
Amorim remains committed to his style of play, regardless of the mounting pressure and criticism. “The result, I accept that. I don’t see it that way, we are doing better than the results,” he claimed, suggesting a disconnect between the team's performances and their outcomes.
Addressing the Manchester United fans directly, Amorim said, “My message to fans: I will do everything. [I am] always thinking about what is best for the club. While I’m here, I’ll do my best. The rest is not my decision. I’m suffering more [than the fans].”
Reflecting on the game itself, Amorim pointed to specific areas where improvements are needed. “If you look at the goals, we can avoid those goals. We can do better, especially for the second goal,” he stated, indicating a need for tighter defensive organization.
He elaborated on the key differences between the two sides: “The biggest difference was when we had transitions, we didn’t score. In the second half, they did better in transition, and we suffered in those moments.”
Amorim emphasized the need for perfection in high-stakes matches: “In these kinds of games, we need to be perfect and, in this game, we were not perfect.” He lamented the team's inability to convert chances, stating, “The frustration is always the same, because of the amount of chances we need to score goals.”
Bruno Fernandes echoed Amorim's sentiments regarding the preventability of City's goals, saying, “You have to look at what we did well, and it’s not enough because you want to win football games.” He added, “What we did today was not enough to get a result, and that’s what we’ll take from this game. We need to score goals and not concede.”
Fernandes also highlighted the team's attacking efforts: “We kept creating chances, but were not able to score as much as we wanted. We have to be more in control. We conceded three goals we could have avoided.”
Despite the heavy defeat, Fernandes attempted to find positives: “The result is very bad, very bad for us, but I think there are two ways of looking at this game. The goals could have been avoided. On the ball, we were very positive, very brave, we were playing the ball forward. When we created chances, we could have been more clinical.”
He concluded by acknowledging City's superiority: “We wanted what City got, and that’s the three points. City were smart to get the goals in the way they did, they have a very good team and good players.”
4 – With just four points from four games (W1 D1 L2), this is Manchester United’s poorest start to a league season since 1992-93, when they also had four points from their opening four matches under Alex Ferguson. Misery. pic.twitter.com/zW5QH4u2jy
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 14, 2025