The worst Manchester derby ever is upon on us. How did we get here?

How are things going astatine Manchester United?

Here's the archetypal condemnation of a portion written by ESPN's Rob Dawson 2 weeks ago: "Ruben Amorim says helium is readying to stay arsenic Manchester United manager, but helium has admitted helium cannot warrant helium volition inactive beryllium successful the occupation aft the planetary break."

He's inactive successful the occupation -- thanks, perhaps, to a 97th-minute punishment from Bruno Fernandes to unafraid a 3-2 triumph ... implicit Burnley ... astatine Old Trafford. Yes, truthful bleak are the vibes that a last-second location triumph implicit the projected worst squad successful the league is viewed arsenic a imaginable turning point.

There was Amorim's tactics committee becoming a meme successful the Carabao Cup shootout nonaccomplishment to fourth-tier Grimsby Town. There was the opening week nonaccomplishment to an Arsenal broadside that ne'er got retired of archetypal cogwheel and hardly adjacent turned connected the ignition. There was the 1-1 gully with Fulham acknowledgment to a Rodrigo Muniz ain goal. There, still, person been zero Premier League starts for €76.5-million signing Benjamin Sesko.

And yet, if you look astatine the Premier League table, you'll announcement that Manchester United aren't adjacent the worst squad successful their ain city. No, they've got 4 points from 3 matches.

Manchester City? They've mislaid 2 retired of 3 -- thing an eventual Premier League victor has done lone erstwhile successful the past of the league.

After missing astir each of past play to a torn ACL, reigning Ballon d'Or victor Rodri is backmost for Man City -- and he's saying worldly similar this: "I'm not Messi. I'm not going to travel backmost and conscionable marque the squad triumph and triumph and win."

When the 2 Manchester sides met backmost successful April, they produced 1 of the worst games of past season: a scoreless gully successful which City didn't effort a changeable implicit the last 20 minutes and neither squad created a azygous unsafe chance. While this Sunday's lucifer astatine the Etihad shouldn't beryllium arsenic uncompetitive arsenic that one, the docket is catching the 2 sides astatine their lowest corporate constituent since the Abu Dhabi takeover of City backmost successful 2008.

So, up of what mightiness beryllium the worst Manchester derby successful caller memory, let's instrumentality a look astatine however we got present and wherefore 1 broadside of the metropolis mightiness beryllium person to turning it astir than the other.

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A brief, caller past of Manchester City and Manchester United

Everything you request to cognize is determination successful this chart, which sketches retired the points-per-game averages for some Manchester clubs implicit each 10-month s...