Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim could not be in more varying situations at their respective clubs.
Much like Sir Alex Ferguson and Jurgen Klopp at Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, the Catalan’s job security at Manchester City cannot even be questioned.
Pep Guardiola has elevated City to unforeseen standards and before the Sky Blues’ decline last season, he had led them to winning four titles in a row and also becoming treble-winners. During his tenure, Guardiola has won six league titles while clinching every trophy at club level in nine full campaigns.
Ruben Amorim, on the other hand is walking on thin ice as his Manchester United side have not many shown many signs of progress this season after finishing 15th in the league during the previous campaign.
Amorim believes Guardiola is the world’s best manager himself but the same cannot be said for him, as he also lost the Europa League final in May this year.
Pep Guardiola adapting his style of play against Arsenal is a worry for Ruben Amorim
As Keith Treacy reviewed the weekend’s Premier League results on the Off The Ball Football podcast, he touched on Pep Guardiola’s defensive tactics against Arsenal.
Treacy believes Guardiola’s pragmatic approach puts Ruben Amorim under more pressure from Manchester United fans than before, considering the 54-year-old chose to change his style of play despite being one of the most decorated managers in history.
The pundit said: “And to be fair, I think Manchester United fans must be looking across the city and thinking if the great Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are going to change tact, then maybe they should be doing the same.”
“And I think in a roundabout way, this will put more pressure on Ruben Amorim and starting to bring him back to Manchester United.”
Man City and Man United’s stats compared when they faced Arsenal
The stats prove Keith Treacy’s point as Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim’s approaches when Manchester City and Manchester United respectively played Arsenal showcase how willing the veteran was to adapt.
| STATS VS ARSENAL | MANCHESTER CITY | MANCHESTER UNITED |
| GOALS | 1 | 0 |
| SHOTS | 5 | 9 |
| SHOTS ON TARGET | 2 | 3 |
| POSSESSION | 33% | 39% |
| xG | 0.87 | 1.31 |
Despite United often being on the attack against Arsenal, they managed to lose as Amorim had set his side up to go for the kill.
Guardiola’s conservatism largely paid off as it took a 93rd-minute goal from Gabriel Martinelli for the hosts to earn a draw.
