Gary Neville shares what Ruben Amorim did that left him ‘energised’ after Manchester United defeat vs Aston Villa
Gary Neville said he was pleased with Ruben Amorim’s decisions despite Manchester United’s loss on Sunday.
Manchester United lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, with Morgan Rogers‘ dazzling brace earning the three points for the home side.
Matheus Cunha equalised for the Red Devils before half-time, but after going behind once more, they could not find a second leveller.
Amorim has been under pressure at Manchester United, with the harmony of his dressing room in doubt after his recent comments.
Kobbie Mainoo has been left in the cold at Manchester United, and is set to seek a move away in January.
Gary Neville shares surprising positives from Manchester United defeat
Villa represent one of Europe’s form sides. Sunday’s win marked their 10th consecutive across all competitions, and their 16th from the last 18 games.
But Manchester United made them work for it, and arguably deserved more from the game.
Benjamin Sesko enjoyed a superb chance to put the visitors ahead in the first half, and Cunha inexplicably put a free header wide from just yards out in the second.
| Aston Villa | Match stats | Manchester United |
| 43% | Possession | 57% |
| 12 | Shots | 15 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 1.54 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.33 |
| 2 | Big chances | 3 |
Ultimately, though, Amorim‘s side would leave Villa Park with nothing to show for a combative performance.
But Neville was enthused, and said on the Gary Neville Podcast: “I’m actually quite energised by what I’ve seen. And I think that goes to show performance really matters in football, and I think the way in which you play really matters.
“I said I could come off that game against Bournemouth on Monday, where there were some really bad goals conceded but I could live with watching that all day long.”
“The manager has changed,” he added. “Quite obviously, the system that he said he would never change – the five, or the three, the two in midfield, two wingbacks and the three up front, the one and the two narrow forwards – that has been thrown out of the window in the last two matches”.
Ruben Amorim keen to take positives
There is no shame in losing to Villa at the moment. Unai Emery‘s side appear unstoppable, and have beaten Premier League title chasers Arsenal and Manchester City already this season.
But there is no getting around the fact that Manchester United need points on the board.
Just two wins from the last eight games in the Premier League is not a good enough standard to involve the Red Devils in a top-four race.
“I think we were the better team today,” said a defiant Amorim after the game. “We were unlucky, even with the injury of Bruno, but, during the game, even without him, we were the better team.
“We blocked the transitions quite well and they did really well. We did a very good job that no-one is going to remember tomorrow because what matters is the result.”
The visit of Newcastle United is up next for Manchester United, who will hope to see a positive performance actually result in three points.