‘The structure is awful’ 💬😡 Gary Neville slams Man Utd’s setup vs. Spurs: ‘You wouldn’t see this in under-9s football. Look at the space in midfield’

Gary Neville Blasts Manchester United’s Tactics in Defeat to Spurs

Gary Neville didn’t hold back in his criticism of Manchester United after they conceded the opening goal against Tottenham, calling manager Ruben Amorim’s tactical setup “terrible.”

United entered the match struggling with injuries, forcing them to rely heavily on young players. Their bench featured eight teenagers, while key midfielders Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, and Toby Collyer were sidelined due to injury. Additionally, Christian Eriksen was unavailable due to illness, leading to a makeshift midfield pairing of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.

Neville highlighted United’s midfield as a major weakness, particularly during James Maddison’s goal. Maddison capitalized on a rebound after Andre Onana parried Lucas Bergvall’s initial shot. “The positioning of United’s midfielders is completely off,” Neville said while commentating for Sky Sports. “Look at the gap between Fernandes and Casemiro—it defies basic football principles. It’s shocking. The structure is chaotic. You wouldn’t even see this setup at the youth level.”

Amorim was visibly frustrated following the goal, but Neville placed the blame squarely on his tactical decisions. “He’s furious, shouting at his staff, but I don’t understand why. The real issue is how poorly the team is structured,” Neville continued.

Since taking over, Amorim has typically positioned Fernandes in a more advanced role. Meanwhile, Casemiro’s start against Spurs was his first in the Premier League since December, and concerns about his declining physicality had already been raised. In January, Amorim admitted that the Brazilian struggled to keep up with the league’s intensity. “Casemiro still has incredible football intelligence, but the speed of the game in England, even compared to European competitions, is on another level,” Amorim explained. “We need players who can match that intensity, and sometimes that means making tough selection choices.”

Neville’s criticism, though harsh, isn’t entirely unwarranted. United’s midfield looked disorganized, and the gap between Fernandes and Casemiro made it easy for Maddison and Bergvall to exploit space. Given Casemiro’s recent struggles, starting him was always a gamble, but Amorim had limited options due to injuries. Dropping Fernandes deeper was necessary, but it came at the cost of United’s creativity in attack.

The bigger question is whether Amorim could have made tactical adjustments to provide more midfield stability. Should he have included an additional midfielder to close the gaps, or were his hands tied due to squad limitations? Let us know what you think—was it poor tactics or just bad luck with injuries?