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Manchester United legend Gary Neville slammed Ruben Amorim’s tactics in the side’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
James Maddison scored the only goal of the game to send United to 15th place in the Premier League table.
United had some chances to score, with Alejandro Garnacho firing a good opportunity over the bar, while Joshua Zirkzee flashed a free header wide of goal from inside the box.
Amorim blamed his players’ failure to be clinical for the humiliating loss, which is United’s 12th of the top-flight campaign.
Speaking on co-commentary for Sky Sports, Neville slammed Amorim’s tactics, especially the way he set up his midfield. Following injuries to Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer, Amorim started Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro as his midfield pairing.
The two didn’t work as a unit and Casemiro often found himself isolated in the middle of the park as Fernandes assumed wider positions.
Neville said about this [via TEAMtalk], “We just said about the distance between the two central midfield players. Look at where Casemiro is and where Bruno Fernandes is.”
“That cannot be right. It breaks all rules in football. Look at them – absolute madness, that.”
“They may score goals but the structure of the team is awful. The gaps in that midfield, that’s a tactical thing – they’ve been told to do that. Bruno Fernandes is playing right wing. It’s embarrassing.”
Neville added, “You wouldn’t see this in under-9s or under-10s football. There’s a reason for it. It’s because of what [Joshua] Zirkzee did against Newcastle when he kept having to come out to one side.”
“What Amorim said is, ‘You stay in there’. But that means then it’s impossible for them two behind… that space in midfield there. It’s shocking.”
United are back in action on Saturday when they make their way to Goodison Park to face a resurgent Everton under David Moyes.
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