Gary Neville says he fears for Manchester United ahead of their Super Sunday visit to Premier League leaders Liverpool. So should head coach Ruben Amorim stay true to his principles or change his formation at Anfield?
United were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle at Old Trafford on Monday Night Football, meaning Amorim has now lost six of his 11 games since replacing Erik ten Hag in November, including the last four in all competitions.
That losing streak has left United in 14th place in the table, just seven points clear of the bottom three and with a host of problems facing them as they prepare to take on their arch-rivals this weekend.
Amorim started Monday's defeat to Newcastle with two 32-year-olds in midfield, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, while summer signing Joshua Zirkzee was substituted for tactical reasons after just 33 minutes to a mixture of cheers and boos.
Meanwhile, England international Marcus Rashford was an unused substitute despite United needing goals to get back into the game. Amorim admitted after the whistle: “I'm not making excuses, people are tired of them at this club. Our club.” needs a shock.”
Neville has called the situation at his former club 'desperate' and told Sky Sports that an in-form Liverpool are the very last team United would want to face next.
'I have no idea how they approach this game'
Sky Sports' Gary Neville:
“Do we have to go to Anfield on Sunday? Do you remember when the Sunday league teams used to not show up because they said the traffic was bad or some of the players weren't feeling well?
“It's obviously a joke: I have no idea how they are approaching this match on Sunday. Manchester United have found this match very tough in recent years. The 7-0 [in March 2023]I was there and watched it to the bitter end, as did many Manchester United fans.”
What can Amorim do?
“You wonder what Amorim can do. He can point to Manchester City's performance [2-1 win at the Etihad in December] but I really don't know. Some players may come back. Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford have not shown the application in training, but they are better than the players currently on the pitch.
“They have legs and if Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold line up against Zirkzee or Bruno [Fernandes] in large areas they would probably prefer that to Garnacho and Rashford.
“That will be difficult for Amorim because he wants to establish a new culture and standard in the dressing room of what is right. He has not liked some of the things he has seen in recent months, but at the moment it is necessary and it is desperate.”
Anfield is a brutal place, I fear for Sunday
“United are only seven points away from the relegation zone. They play Liverpool and then Arsenal, so it is a very difficult moment.
“He's a young manager who has come over and needs time to settle in, but when results are this bad the pressure mounts and Anfield is a brutal place to go. It's the worst place at the best of times .”
“The form they are in is out of this world. I have some fears about Sunday.”
Should Amorim stick to his three-back principles?
“He can't change because he's clearly committed to it. Every day in training he works on this system and he says, 'This is what we're going to do'. Obviously it causes some pain at times for some of the players .” the players.
“To take [Noussair] Mazraoui and [Diogo] Dalot – they are actually two players who are doing their very best, they have been very willing in every game of Amorim and that is why they are playing, because they have shown and demonstrated a very good attitude.
“Their problem is a lack of ability to play in that advanced position higher up the pitch in the final third. So it's a case where he has players who are perhaps more talented, like Garnacho and Rashford, that he doesn't really like convinced.” their attitude.
“So he goes for the more solid players, but the problem is that you look at the midfield of Casemiro and Eriksen. I know it has been played together before, but every time I see it I shudder a little because I look at looking at that pitch at Old Trafford always felt huge when I played on it.
“Casemiro and Eriksen in that midfield [Harry] Maguire, [Lisandro] Martínez and [Matthijs] de is in the back, there is not much speed there.
“He has to stay there, but all I will say is that he has said he has to get results. If you remember Louis van Gaal when he first came to United, it felt like he had about three or signed four left defenders. play that kind of wing-back system because he played it with the Netherlands.
“He ended up changing it to a back four in about six to eight weeks and it seemed to change very quickly. So I wonder if the more he says this, the more he gets the results he gets.
“If results continue as they are now, there may come a point where he has to change or do something different because it is clear that United cannot go any lower than they are now. They would be in danger of relegation.”
“If he changed so quickly, what would be the point of him being here?”
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:
'He shouldn't do that [change his principles] because I'm going back to [Erik] ten Hag and this was a guy who had a great first season, but after two games he changed his mind.
“We talk about managers adapting and adapting things. I'm all for that, but when you've brought in a manager who's really successful with the system, you want to see that on the pitch. So if the manager changes that very quickly, and deviates from that, I would be concerned.
“I always felt that was a problem for Ten Hag because United brought him in because of what he did at Ajax. He kept saying at press conferences: 'I don't have the same players, I don't have this.' I don't have that, I can't play like that.”
“I always thought that was a big concern for the future because that's why the club brought you in. If Amorim turns away from that, what's the point of him being here? That's what he stands for, that's what he should do.”
Man Utd are busy in January
Sunday 5 January: Liverpool vs Man Utd – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
Sunday 12 January: Arsenal vs Man Utd – FA Cup Third Round, kick-off 3pm
Thursday 16 January: Man Utd vs Southampton – Premier League, kick-off 8pm
Sunday 19 January: Man Utd vs Brighton – Premier League, kick-off 2pm
Thursday 23 January: Man Utd vs Rangers – Europa League, kick-off 8pm
Sunday 26 January: Fulham vs Man Utd – Premier League, kick-off 7pm
Thursday 30 January: FCSB vs Man Utd – Europa League, kick-off 8pm
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