Gary Neville pulls apart Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd team selection with only one player right
Manchester United were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle on Monday evening and Gary Neville was not impressed with the team Ruben Amorim sent out
Gary Neville has criticised Ruben Amorim's team selection following Manchester United's defeat to Newcastle, claiming only Amad Diallo was played in his correct position. Despite the arrival of Amorim and the promise of a fresh start for the Red Devils, the turnaround has not been as swift as fans had hoped.
After a victory over rivals Manchester City, United have suffered four consecutive losses across all competitions, with Amorim securing just four wins from his first 11 games, including just two Premier League victories.
Following a dismal 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle, club legend Neville suggested that Amorim still has much work ahead to steady the ship.
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United found themselves trailing within five minutes at Old Trafford, with a goal from Alexandar Isak - Joelinton adding a second 15 minutes later. A poor first half-hour saw Amorim make an unexpected substitution just after half an hour, bringing on Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee, reports the Manchester Evening News.
"When I saw that team [to play Newcastle], I thought there's no chance that team can play football well together," Neville expressed his tactical frustration on Sky Sports. "It's impossible really.
"Because you rely upon Amad, who's the only person really in the position that he belongs - that you'd think that can actually create anything or do anything. He also struggled in the first half because he had nothing around him."
Neville, who played 602 times for the Red Devils, did not hold back on his assessment of the squad picked by Amorim, citing a glaring lack of synergy and speed among the backline and midfield.
"It was the team selection I thought was wrong," he added. "I did. I just thought it was wrong. He can't play that back three with that midfield two, they've got no legs. There was a stat before the game: Manchester United, every time they've played [Noussair] Mazraoui and [Diogo] Dalot as wing-backs have not scored a goal. They've not scored a goal in open play.
"It's not the fault of Casemiro or [Christian] Eriksen either. At one point in the first half, I said that the last person Casemiro would have wanted to see next to him was Eriksen and the last person Eriksen would have wanted to see next to him was Casemiro.
"That's how it is when you play two slow centre-backs together [too]. Steve Bruce always wanted Gary Pallister. Nemanja Vidic always wanted Rio Ferdinand and vice versa. Because, you know one of them is a bulldog in the air, and you want that sort of yin and yang. They just don't fit with each other Casemiro and Eriksen. It was as bad as it gets."
The challenges continue for Amorim, with a daunting visit to Anfield on Sunday evening, followed by a journey south to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.
