City of Manchester? Heads down and heads buried in hands, if those were ever the portion of her clubs, it was surely either one or the other at a time and not this, the chaos in the latter days of 2024.
Collectively, the two Manchester clubs have lost nine games across all competitions in December with United losing five and four for City, the most losses they’ve combined for in a single month since April 1971.
But the city was not known for the silence at both sides because for a very long time, one is always enjoying the other’s misery, while the afflicted called the other a noisy neighbor out of jealousy and pain.
When United relinquished their dominance of the English top-flight at the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign in 2013, City’s began, and they dominated like they really mean it following the appointment of Pep Guardiola in 2016.
However, recent turn of event suggests that the two clubs from Manchester, who have dominated the English topflight, winning a combined 21 of the 32 championships since the Premier League kicked off in 1992-93, are both about to be exiled from the race for the title this season.
From an uncharacteristic City to United’s Déjà vu, we look at the numbers behind a threatening season for the two contingents from the most successful city in top-flight history.
Dis-United Manchester A City in Ruins
Manchester City out of Energy, and Pep Guardiola out of Ideas
This wasn’t meant to be the narrative of Manchester City this campaign, the same team that has won four straight Premier League titles under the watch of Pep Guardiola, setting a new record in the process.
The Citizens might not have won any of the championships by going a season without a defeat like the Arsenal of 2003-04 but they have surely established themselves as Invincibles, given how they’ve dominated like they meant it.
With four straight championship success between 2020-21 and 2023-24, they beat the record of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, who won three straight titles between 1998-99 and 2000-01, taking the crown as the best defending champions in English top-flight history.
However, they appear to have run out of luck at this stage of the ongoing season. Their fall from grace has been so devastating since it began at the end of October, and even a shadow of their past self would have fared better than they have since then.
They have lost their ways and even the proclaimed greatest tactician of all-time is running out of ideas. Despite their impressive start to the season, which saw them became the latest team to taste a defeat in week 10, the Etihad landlords have just 28 points to show for 18 games so far.
Manchester City has won just five of the last 27 points possible in the league, with just two draws and one win in their last nine, while they’ve dropped more points from winning position, 12, than they did in the entirety of last season, 10.
With just 18 games so far, only in 2019-20 season has Manchester City have more than the six defeats they have in the league this season, and they have all come in less than two months.
The position seventh at Christmas also suggests they’ll be dethroned of the league title come May, because no team in that position at the stage of any Premier League season has finished higher than fourth.
A City team with a reputation of keeping their opponents at bay has conceded 26 goals across all competitions since the start of November, making theirs the second worst defensive record in that time, behind German Bundesliga club Heidenheim, with 28.
It continues to get worse as the season ages, and Pep Guardiola’s charge is now placed eighth on the log. While they look forward to the January window to make signings and salvage their status, it remains to be seen if alteration in man power will be enough, even though there has been no concrete negotiation with any marque player with the opening of the window just a few days away.
The Chaos never end with Manchester United
This is what they make of managers, isn’t it?
Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik Ten Hag all arrived at the Theater of Dreams with great vision, but this is Manchester United’s reality, and even Ruben Amorim is getting to know less than three months into his reign.
United spent Christmas in 13th, their lowest placement at the stage of the season in Premier League history, and in the topflight since Alex Ferguson’s first season in 1986.
The loss in the Molineux on Thursday marks a fifth in the first ten games under the Portuguese, making him the manager with the most defeats in as many games into their reign at the club since Walter Crickmer in 1932, six defeats.
Amorim arrive from Sporting CP with an extraordinary record, which saw him put an end to the club’s 21 year wait for the Portuguese championship in 2021, also winning on more last season before his departure.
This season, he led them to a position of authority both in the league, where they won all eight games with him, and in Europe, where they won all but drew one of four games, while also beating Manchester City 4-1 in Lisbon.
However, while things continue to go south for him in his England adventure, those in Portugal are getting to realize just how brilliant he was because of Sporting’s struggles.
The Portuguese champions has lost four in eight games since Amorim left in November, surrendered their lead in the league, and have moved from third to 16 in the UEFA Champions League following back-to-back defeats in the competition, leading to the sacking of Joao Pereira, who succeeded Amorim.
In Manchester, Amorim’s charge have shown literally no improvement, most especially defensively, where they have conceded 18 goals in those ten games. The look more vulnerable defending set-piece.
Seven of the goals conceded under Ruben Amorim have come from set-piece situations. After conceding two in the meeting with Arsenal, they have gone on to concede five more in games against Spurs, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Wolves, including two straight from corner kicks.
Excluding penalties, they’ve had to pick the ball out of their net 18 times following a set-piece in the Premier League 2024, their most in a single calendar year in history of the competition.
While it is certain Ruben Amorim will be given time to work his magic and achieve the desired turnaround, this season looks not like his time, and the priority in the league may be battling to ensure a top ten finish, as they’ve been languishing in the bottom half or a while now.
The City of Manchester United in No Man’s Land
Manchester City’s struggles have been more shocking, considering their recent dominance. Pep Guardiola’s side has found itself in unfamiliar territory, battling a string of losses and struggling to regain lost form.
The absence of key players, alongside tactical misfires, has left fans and analysts speculating whether the era of Guardiola’s invincibility is nearing its end. But the Spaniard has in the past proven he can always find a way, and trust City to retain the trust in him to get them up and firing again.
For Manchester United, this situation is no stranger, but as they continue to await a new dawn, they’ll have to live through this ordeal, if the new dawn is to be orchestrated by Ruben Amorim.
Still struggling for relevance after a decade post Ferguson, United’s dominance has fleeted, and if they do manager to get it right, it will only count for a new era.
Both Manchester clubs will hope the birth of a new year put an end to their shame, so that again, the most decorated city in the United Kingdom can again have something to cheer, even if it is one having a go at the other.
Whether these setbacks lead to success or remain signs of prolonged decline remains to be seen. The reality of today is that Manchester’s footballing dominance is under threat, and the road to redemption will be anything but easy.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
