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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim received backlash from Gary Neville after losing 3-2 to Nottingham Forest.
There were two consistent consistencies in the early years of Amorim’s reign in the United. Firstly, the former Sporting CP boss ensured a clear identity and approach for all to see. Secondly, he rotated the team heavily in every game he was in charge of the Red Devils.
After losing 2-0 to Arsenal, Amorim made four changes to his starting line-up for the home game against Forest. However, the results were not significantly different. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men took all three points.
Back-to-back defeats have raised questions about the new manager’s decision-making, with Neville suggesting Amorim’s constant chopping and changes are sending the wrong message.
Speaking on NBC Sports (via) mirror), Neville said: “If you keep substituting players, if you keep substituting the back three, if you take five players off, you are basically effectively talking to all of them. Because they were left out of the starting XI. You don’t trust them.”
The United legend pointed out Erik ten Hag’s lack of stability and consistency, doing the same in his final days at the club.
Neville shed light on what happened against Forest, adding that Amorim should have left players as they were as they did not play that badly in the first half. As the game progressed, changes on the touchline ultimately left United looking a “mess” with “no real form”.
Neville continued: “I think I’ve been saying this for Ten Hag for 12 months. Pick the XI you think is the best. “We thought today’s XI, with the exception of Luke Shaw, was close to Manchester United’s best XI.”
It’s important for every manager to find his best XI quickly, but Amorim deserves ample time to test every player before making any key decisions about his short- and long-term future at the club.
Additionally, meeting minutes management is important during the busy December schedule.
Amorim was critical of himself in his post-match press conference and accepted responsibility for the Manchester giants’ struggles while defending set pieces.
Arsenal scored both of the Emirates’ goals from corner routines, while Forest also struck for United from a corner. Nikola Milenkovic beat Lisandro Martinez to set up Andre Onana’s goal two minutes after kick-off.
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