Steven Gerrard believes Manchester United must continue with Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos in central midfield, echoing Gary Neville's assessment after Sunday's draw at Leeds United.
United are now six games without a win following the feisty 0-0 draw at Elland Road. Despite the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, Michael Carrick stuck with Baleba, Santos and Youri Tielemans in midfield, allowing Bruno Fernandes to move in off the right-hand side.
Gerrard's Analysis of the Midfield
Speaking on The Overlap, Gerrard said United were more compact in the middle of the pitch than they have been. He said: "It was a little bit strange and different how Manchester United set up. Mainoo obviously wasn't available, I like Mainoo, I think he's a really good player."
"But I think when it's Mainoo and Tielemans in there, and Fernandes, I think those three as a group, they lack a bit of dynamism, a bit of legs if you like."
"With Santos and Baleba, there's a bit more power, a bit more physicality, they can get about a little bit more, so you can understand why Michael went with that personnel, especially against Leeds, a bit of a derby, you probably knew there was going to be a bit of a needle in the game. A few tackles."
Neville's Praise and Carrick's Adaptation
Gerrard added that United played in a system that looked like a 4-2-4, with Fernandes and Tielemans as two 10s who filled in for each other out of possession. He said: "It was stronger, it was more compact, but the big thing for me was, there was more of that [pumps fist] about them, there was more running, there were more tackles, they were up for it."
On his own Sky Sports podcast, Neville said: "I actually think Baleba and Santos did a decent job in there today. You'd have said at the start of the season 'who is going to be your two?' that would have been your last two."
Neville also praised Carrick for adapting, unlike former boss Ruben Amorim. He said: "What Michael Carrick has done today is he's adjusted; he's adapted. If you look back 12 months, how many games did we do together under Ruben Amorim? We watched a lot of games and he never adjusted."
Fans' Reaction and the Road Ahead
Neville noted that United fans clapped Carrick and the players after the match, recognising the effort. He said: "They've won the duels, they've thrown their head at it. It's a low base that Manchester United fans accept."
He added: "We're not going to get carried away, we are talking about a depressed standard and a low expectation right now, seven points from seven, worst start since 1986. But it'll feel like a stepping stone for Michael Carrick and it'll feel like the first step on the ladder in the Premier League and they may get some confidence from that."
