Sky Sports pundit and Manchester United legend Gary Neville unleashed a detailed and impassioned critique of manager Ruben Amorim's tactical plan following the Red Devils' disappointing 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford.
Neville's Tactical Frustration
Neville's primary frustration centred on Amorim's decision to revert to a 3-4-3 formation for the Tuesday night fixture. This came just days after a switch to a 4-2-3-1 setup had produced a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United, a performance that had suggested United were making progress.
"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."
Neville identified specific player positioning issues early in the game, noting on live commentary: "[Joshua] Zirkzee on this right side having to chase back to right-back almost, [Diogo] Dalot right wing-back... All of it just isn't as good as it was in the last couple of games."
'Bizarre' Substitutions and a 'Wrong' System
The former England defender was equally scathing about Amorim's in-game management, particularly his substitutions as United chased a winning goal. Neville claimed 'every single substitution was bizarre' in a withering assessment of the second-half changes.
He expressed particular bewilderment at the withdrawal of goalscorer Joshua Zirkzee, who had given United the lead via a deflection in the first half. "If Zirkzee wasn't injured and that was a tactical substitution, it was a really poor one," Neville stated. "He'd scored. You couldn't take him off. So I'm hoping he's injured for Ruben Amorim's sake."
Neville concluded that the manager must take ownership of his errors, asserting: "The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it."
Match Context and Fallout
The 1-1 draw was a significant setback for United, coming against a Wolves side that had earned only three points all season. It was a stark contrast to just three weeks prior, when United had travelled to Molineux and won 4-1.
United took the lead through Zirkzee's deflected effort, but Wolves pegged them back just before half-time through Ladislav Krejci's header. A late Patrick Dorgu strike was ruled out for offside by VAR, denying Amorim's side a fortuitous victory.
The result leaves lingering questions over Amorim's strategic consistency. Speaking to the BBC post-match, the manager called it a "strange game," adding: "We needed more imagination today to create chances... the quality was not there."
With United missing key players like Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, the pressure is now on Amorim to prove his tactical flexibility can yield consistent results, with Neville's stinging analysis framing the narrative around his Old Trafford tenure.
