Neville slams 'absolute madness' Amorim tactic

Robin Bairner

• 17 Feb 2025 00:35 CST
• 3 min read

Manchester United slumped to a 1-0 loss against Tottenham on Sunday, leaving Ruben Amorim’s side 15th in the Premier League and Gary Neville questioning the capability of the manager.

Amorim was only appointed to the head coach role at Man Utd in November following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, yet his attempts to implement a new style have brought no improvement.

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United’s slide down the Premier League table shows no sign of stopping, and with a fresh batch of injuries to contend with, they were overcome by James Maddison’s goal on their visit to Spurs.

Neville, though, says the Red Devils should have been more competitive against Ange Postecoglou’s side and has pointed the finger at the dugout.

“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,” Neville told Sky Sports.

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“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.

“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.”

Amorim: My job is so hard

After the match, Amorim admitted that things are not going the way he might have wished.

“I have a lot of problems,” he told Sky Sports. “My job is so hard but I am here to continue my job to the next week with my beliefs and I will try to win again.

“The place in the table is my worry, I am not worried about me.”

Man Utd travel to in-form Everton next Saturday, with former Old Trafford boss David Moyes having recently steered to Toffees ahead of the Red Devils in the standings.