Gary Neville slams Man Utd’s setup vs. Spurs: ‘You wouldn’t see this in under-9s football. Look at the space in midfield’
Gary Neville heavily criticized Manchester United’s performance after they conceded the opening goal against Tottenham, calling Ruben Amorim’s tactical setup “awful.” United were severely affected by injuries, with eight of their nine substitutes being teenagers. With Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, and Toby Collyer unavailable due to injuries and Christian Eriksen sidelined with illness, Bruno Fernandes was deployed deeper in midfield alongside Casemiro.
Neville was particularly frustrated with United’s midfield shape during James Maddison’s goal. Maddison scored on the rebound after Andre Onana saved an effort from Lucas Bergvall. Commentating for Sky Sports, Neville lashed out at United’s defensive positioning, highlighting the gap between Fernandes and Casemiro. He described their setup as chaotic, stating, “The distance between the two centre midfielders is all wrong. Fernandes is in one place, Casemiro is in another—it’s basic football. It’s madness. The team structure is awful. You wouldn’t see such poor positioning at an under-9s match. Look at that space—shocking.”
Despite Amorim’s visible frustration on the touchline, Neville believed the blame lay with the manager’s tactics. “Amorim is fuming on the sidelines, shouting and gesturing, but I don’t know why he’s angry with the players. The real issue is the team’s setup,” he added.
Amorim, who typically deploys Fernandes in a more advanced role, had started Casemiro for the first time in the Premier League since December. In January, Amorim had expressed doubts about Casemiro’s ability to keep up with the physical intensity of the league. The manager acknowledged Casemiro’s experience and game intelligence but admitted the team required players with higher intensity. He explained, “Casemiro reads the game brilliantly, but the intensity of this league is a different challenge. Sometimes, the team needs players with more pace, even if Casemiro’s quality and achievements are beyond question. It’s purely a tactical choice.”
