Gary Neville launched into an impassioned and detailed critique of Ruben Amorim’s tactical plan after Manchester United fell flat against Wolves.
Amorim reverted back to his typical 3-4-3 formation and only managed a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against a side who have earned three points all season.
That’s despite the fact that his switch to a 4-2-3-1 against Newcastle on Friday produced a 1-0 win and left some feeling United had taken a step forward.
Neville was critical of Amorim’s tactical tweaking as well as his curious substitutions as United searched for a winner, and said the Red Devils boss must take ownership of his ‘wrong’ decisions during the game.
‘He doesn’t need to say “I haven’t changed because of the media” because then he’s telling us basically that the media is in his head,’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast.
‘The reason he’s had to change is because the performance levels with the 3-4-3 have been so poor and the results have been appalling.
Gary Neville tore into Ruben Amorim’s tactics following Man United’s 1-1 draw with Wolves
Amorim reverted back to his unsuccessful 3-4-3 system and Neville was unimpressed with how he deployed his men
He added: ‘When I see that we go back [to three at the back] after five minutes tonight and I’m thinking, no, Ruben, why have you done that?
‘The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it.’
Of Amorim’s changes in the second half, Neville said: ‘They made Manchester United worse. Every single substitution was bizarre.
‘If Zirkzee wasn’t injured and that was a tactical substitution, it was a really poor one. Zirkzee isn’t Eric Cantona, by any stretch of the imagination, but he needed to be out there for physicality, for presence, for experience.
‘And he’d scored. You couldn’t take him off. So I’m hoping he’s injured. I’m hoping he’s injured for Ruben Amorim.’
Upon learning that Zirkzee’s withdrawal was for tactical, rather than fitness, reasons, Neville said: ‘That’s not right. That shouldn’t be happening.’
Neville identified that Amorim hadn’t set his team up correctly in the early goings of the Old Trafford contest, venting his frustrations on live commentary.
‘This isn’t right again,’ Neville said on Sky Sports.
‘So I think I’ve watched enough United over this last five or six weeks. I’ve watched six out of their last seven games to know what looks right and what isn’t right and I’m really surprised.
‘[Joshua] Zirkzee on this right side having to chase back to right-back almost, [Diogo] Dalot right wing back, Ayden Heaven right centre back, [Patrick] Dorgu over on the left back where he’s not been playing well.
‘All of it just isn’t as good as it was in the last couple of games where they’ve played in different positions and we should be OK to say that. I think that’s what the fans are thinking inside this stadium. They’re in exactly the same place as we are.
‘The performances have been so much better in these last two or three games through the tweaks that have been made but he’s gone back tonight to his 3-4-3 but the problem is he has got players in the system.
Neville also claimed ‘every single Man United substitution was bizarre’ in a withering rant
United were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation strugglers Wolves at Old Trafford on Tuesday
‘Zirkzee on this right channel, obviously he’s going central now. Dalot over here, having to come back all the time, it’s not right. They’re playing against a team tonight that are struggling so could win and get away with it but it doesn’t mean it’s the right system to watch because it’s not.’
Manchester United were missing multiple first-team stars such as Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Bryan Mbeumo, and Amad Diallo.
But the draw comes just three weeks after United went to Wolves and obliterated Rob Edwards’ side, winning 4-1.
They got off to a good start on Tuesday night when Joshua Zirkzee gave them the lead via a deflection off Ladislav Krejci. That was only the Dutchman’s second Premier League goal of the season.
Wolves pegged United back just before half-time as Krejci redeemed himself with a header from eight yards out.
In the last minute, Patrick Dorgu thought he had won United the game with his second goal in as many games, but his effort was chalked off by VAR due to him being offside.
Amorim told the BBC: ‘Strange game. We knew it would be a different game to Newcastle. We needed more imagination today to create chances.
‘We struggled in the first half trying to steal the ball. They put a lot of men in the midfield. We tried, but the quality was not there. We need to recover to the next one.’
