Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has given his thoughts on the debate over formation changes for the Red Devils’ match against Bournemouth at Old Trafford. The initial line-up seemed to suggest a five-man defense, but during the match the team transitioned to a four-man backline, much to the surprise of spectators watching the game.
This is despite head coach Ruben Amorim insisting there will be no change in tactics from his first year in charge, and having previously expressed a strong stance in the media about moving from a five-man defense to a four-man defense. He previously said: “No one, not even the Pope, is going to change (his tactics). This is my job. This is my responsibility. This is my life. So I’m not going to change it.”
Neville reflected on those comments in the latest episode of his Stick To Football podcast and gave his thoughts on the changes United made during the match.
“So basically he’s saying he’s never going to change the system. Monday night, that’s the average position, that’s the graph. Monday night, that’s the average position.
“To be fair, my eyes sometimes thought he was deceiving me because I couldn’t understand what he was doing at all. There was no doubt that he was 4-2-4 at the end, but he was like that during the game as well. There was something different about Monday night.”
“Has he changed it? In the last 20 minutes he was definitely 4-4-2, 4-2-4, but in the first part of the game something was definitely different that was identified at the beginning of the week.
“Apparently United are a bit frustrated. Basically it’s been leaked that he’s going to change to a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3. He’s stressed that he’s not going to change and we’ve all been asking him to change and be agile. What’s the situation we’re in now? I’m sure he changed on Monday.”
There were moments during the match when United resembled the team of old before the patterns of recent seasons crept in, but for many it is an encouraging sign that the manager is prepared to make such small tactical adjustments.
While many felt there had been a change, Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola didn’t seem too convinced, saying after the game: “I think they always have the same system, but depending on who you put in their markings they adapt. At the end of the day, it’s a very flexible system.”
“It depends on the player, but if you mark as an outside player or a fullback, the player will be lower, and if you mark as a winger, the player will be higher.
“Also, the central numbers 6 and 8, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes and even us, were changing positions, so it’s 2-on-2, but it’s not 2-on-2.
“I think we’re going to suffer like that for the first 15 or 20 minutes until we match up well. And after we put Alex (Scott) there, we felt more solid than when we didn’t have the ball. And when you feel solid, you usually attack better.”
Although United are facing an absence due to their participation in AFCON, the question remains whether these tactical adjustments will become permanent or simply a one-off fix that is unlikely to resurface.
