Fulham Hold United as Carrick Rejects ‘Passive’ Label

24:51We worked on that. But at the end, we know that you can't change things within one or two months. It takes sometimes a little bit of time. But I think you could see now we are much more balanced. Also at Enfield, we were much more balanced, good control and everything. And offensively, we always have a lot of quality to score. I think especially in the first half, we had a couple of good chances. I think Lamens did a couple of good saves as well. and as I said, a lot of positive things to take. Unfortunately, still no Premier League wins for Fulham so far but how do you see you guys this season in terms of the ideas that are being implemented?

25:30I think as I said, there are a lot of positive things to take and there's still a lot of improvement but I think as you can see, the team is alive, the team is fighting, is running. You can see our structure, our organisation, how we play and everything. So this is very, very positive. And I think with a new manager, with a little bit new philosophy, I think we will win games. We have to believe. And I'm 100 % sure that wins will come and then you get more confidence and the momentum as well. You sure worked hard. You're player of the match. Congratulations, Bernadette. Thank you very much. Thank you.

26:06Thank you. Game didn't need Bernadette. Five saves in all. Some very good ones, but could do nothing about the Mateus Cunha equaliser. Could you actually argue, from a Manchester United perspective, that it wasn't for Leno? It might have been a comfortable victory here. It could have been, yeah. On another day, maybe a different goalkeeper. They do score more, but Leno was outstanding. The saves, you see that he's pulled off here. This one here, he's actually going the opposite way, and he manages to spring back the other side and gets a strong handle to turn it around the post. He was superb today for Fulham.

26:43I think if they can keep him like this, if Fulham can keep playing the way they do, I think they'll be more than OK, especially with the games they've got coming up next. Yeah, the three promoted sides they face next, building on the point at Anfield and a point at home against Manchester United. Again, Manchester United might have an argument that there should have been a penalty just before their equaliser. This incident was right in front of us down here and it's Calvin Bassi at the heart of it again. He gets his hands up. Ball hits his hands. What are you saying, Louis? It's a kind of a 50-50.

27:16You don't know now with the rules. It's clearly like it is in. They ruled it out on field and VAR backed them up by saying that proximity was an issue because he was so close to it and his hands are close to his body. The natural instinct is to protect your face because you know you're going to be hit. Even if you're a tough centre-half? You look nervous. You're not going to go like that. So it's so different rules every weekend. We don't understand. So some referee will blow and some others will say no, no, no, go on. This is what the assistant said. It's close to his body. It's hit, but his arm is close to his body.

27:51Referee says on-field decision is play on. VAR says arms close to his body as seen. Confirming the on-field decision exactly as described on-field. You see? I think that would have been harsh if they'd give the penalty for that. You know, I know his hands are there. I know he's hit his hands. but you sort of Harry Maguire they managed to get the goal from that one it definitely wasn't a penalty for me to go

28:18The football season is back and you can keep across all the action on Sky Sports with 1500 live games available for you to watch this season that includes 80 % of all televised Premier League games plus matches in the WSL EFL and Scottish Premiership. If you're not already a Sky customer and want to sign up, head to sky.com to get all the details. Now, though, let's get back to the Sky Sports Premier League podcast. How disappointing in the end for Fulham, who led for 26 minutes here in the second half against Manchester United, only to be denied victory in the dying moments by Matthias Cunha's strike.

29:01Here's Alvaro Arbeloa now with Nathalie Gedra. Alvaro, how frustrating is this one? Yes, we were so close, so, so close. We were a little bit unlucky again. But we knew that it was going to be difficult against this big team. Also, we knew what happened last week. And we have seen what the referee has been doing during all the match. So, difficult game. And yes, we were lucky. You mentioned the referee. Do you feel like there were key decisions that didn't go your way? Yes, I think all fouls for them. And you can see before they scored the foul against Maguire, a guy that is 100 kilos. So, yeah, every decision was for them.

29:49And I knew after the game against Man City that they don't let Manchester United lose here. And I think we deserve a little bit more. How much do you feel that that ultimately affected the result? Well, for now I prefer to be focused on what we did well and how we work and the team was defending well and we had some chances that we couldn't score. Obviously Manchester had their chances also, but we were so, so, so close to our first victory that we are a little bit upset now. Why do you feel ultimately you couldn't score the winner? You had really good chances. You forced some really good saves from St.

30:33Lamens. Yes, I think we did a good game. Obviously, no easy game for us that we were in the bottom at the beginning of the game. But we saw again some personality with the ball and we were brave. And, of course, we have some moments where we have to defend our goal. But I think, in general, we did a good game. In terms of the game plan, were you satisfied? Because it was a match where both teams had a lot of chances. Yes, we wanted to control their transition, their counter-attacks, and we know that they put too many people inside with Cunha, with Bruno, the two midfielders. So we need to control the space behind our midfielders.

31:21We were to be so compact, so close, and yes, for moments we were doing well, and they sometimes find this space and we were struggling. But yes, it's a difficult match against a big, big team. For me, they will be on the top of the league at the end of the season. So now we need to rest and continue working and try to find the first victory. Yeah, as you said, a lot of positives, but still looking for that first Premier League win. How do you make sure that that doesn't take away the confidence of the players in the work that you guys are building not having this Premier League win yet? Well, if you see our first five games, we have already played against Man Utd, against Chelsea, at Anfield, Sunderland away.

32:12So, what are games for us from the beginning? So, now we have a month in October that will be so important for us. And like I said, I think we saw the team that we want to be, the character, the ambition, the personality. And I think if we play in that way, the victories will come. Thank you, Alvaro. Thank you. Louis, I think your first visit to see your former club this season. Are you encouraged? I am. As I said before, the foundation is here. They have the courage. I like the attacking approach that they have. some really talented players, some young players. There is a good combination. So definitely they need to be a bit more clinical in both boxes.

33:01But I think the vision is right. The manager obviously knows it's a bit of a transition. He's trying to impose a few things, and this philosophy needs to be digested. So I think the fans enjoy the game, as we've seen last year or two years with Marco Silva. So it's just a bit of luck. they conceded, I think, let's say a lucky goal. So it's encouraging. Let's have a look at the incident that he was upset about. Now, he seems to suggest that a lot of decisions went against his team today because of what happened to Manchester United last week. He says that is not a foul. Palacios or Maguire. Ashley, what are you saying?

33:39It's definitely a foul. Look at Palacios. He's not even looking at the ball. And I know, OK, you said Harry Maguire is 100kg, but, you know, he's smart. He's just waiting for the foul to be committed. You know, look at this. He's not even looking at the ball. He's just straight into Harry Maguire's back. He feels the arm. It's not the biggest foul, though, is it? It's not, but it's still a foul. It's still a foul. That's, of course, the build-up to the goal. You agree? I think it is, yeah. It's maybe soft, but that's where some players have experience. They use their body in the right way. When you want to use force, he does it really well.

34:11But there, in this position, he thought that he couldn't take the control. So, yes, I think it was a clever piece of work from Maguire. Yeah, and that piece of play continues on. Cunha benefits from that little piece of fortune as well. The flexion goes in. So let's have a look at Fulham's start to the season so far. Still looking for their first win, denied by that equalising goal there. Question is, are they getting closer? They're certainly getting more solid. And they have the carrot of Ipswich away, Hull home, Coventry away in the next three. but is there a flip side here where you might say there's probably more pressure because you're playing those three?

34:49Yeah, there definitely is. I think Ipswich Hull have started World Commentary. You obviously got the first points this weekend. So when you talk about playing the teams that have been promoted, it's a lot of pressure that you're going to put under yourself. With the way they've started, they showed a lot of good signs today. but the promoted sides you're thinking these are the ones that we're going to beat and get the points is it going to be that way we'll have to see after the international break we will indeed and we're going to be very interested to see what happens to Manchester United after this international break as well when we come back we will reflect on that we will hear from Michael Carrick Gary Neville is standing by to join us as well and we're talking Manchester United next

35:37Hello there this is greg james you might know me from talking early in the morning about pop music celebrity guests and doing stupid games but alongside also talking endlessly about cricket i also love formula one and i have a formula one podcast that i started with christian hugel and betty glover and it's now part of the sky sports f1 team every week the fast and the curious will give you exclusive f1 chats sometimes with the drivers sometimes with the team principals and it's co-hosted by christian Hugh Gill and Betty Glover. Christian, tell people why the Fast and Curious is so good. Well, we like to find the fun in Formula One.

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36:43It's time to get more analysis of today's match and head back to the studio. Manchester United got out of jail here at Craven Cottage this afternoon. Don't think even the players were impressed with what they saw from themselves on the pitch today here at Fulham, but a one-all draw to round things off before the break. Here's Michael Carrick now with Natalie Jedra. Michael, a game where both teams had a lot of chances, so what do you take from it ultimately? Yeah, I thought we should have won the game. I thought we created enough to win the game. I thought we had a lot of good play actually in the game and the goal that we did concede is one of them goals and the boys could have thought, you know, it's one of those days and it's gone against us, but I really liked the reaction.

37:32The way we finished the game and come back into the game would be easy for that game to go in another direction. So we nearly won it at the end with a big block from Leicester's chance. So we came to get the win. Of course we did. The way the game's panned out and the reaction and the way we finished the game is the positives that we take from it. Yeah, and the chances created as well. 29 shots during the match. What is it about the final decisions that you feel like it's not going your way? I think probably their goalkeeper, really. The saves that he's made today, he's probably made three top, top saves and arguably man of the match.

38:13So that tells you of how much we've worked in. We hit the post twice and had other opportunities, you know. So I think there was a lot of it that was good. You know, of course, we want to win the game We're not happy about not winning the game, but there's things to take from it for sure. You mentioned the reaction after their goal, but those first 15 minutes in the second half that Man Utd looked a bit passive, does that spell worry you a little bit? I didn't think we did, no. Did you think we were passive? In the first 15 minutes, Man Utd didn't have any shots up until their goal. Yeah, that doesn't mean you're passive.

38:50Football's a difficult game. so just because we controlled a lot of the first half, we played a lot of good football today, we had a spell in the game, it's a Premier League, you're going to have certain spells in the game when you don't have it all your own way and the goal they scored, as it's pretty obvious, how it's come about and arguably a foul at one point on Matthias and then it's two deflections that goes their way so I think to expect total dominance for the whole game I don't think really anyone gets that in this league. But overall, you were happy with the levels of energy that the team brought to the game today.

39:30Yeah. And in terms of the performance overall and coming together with the results as well, where do you see Man United right now? What does this game ultimately say about Man United? I don't think we need to get carried away. It's not a big judgment call all of a sudden just because we've played a game today. I think we can take a lot from today. I think we need to learn a lot as well of this first chapter of the season, really. We know we can be better and we need to be better at certain things. That's pretty clear and we will be. I thought there was good signs today again and the way we finished the game really strongly that will take us through the season, because it's easy not to be like that.

40:11In three weeks now of international break, how do you make the best out of this period? of course with players away as well. Yeah, well, there's only so much you can do. I think the players that we have, we'll obviously train, we'll work with them and we'll improve them as much as we can. I think there'll be a little bit of time off as every club will do the same and then get ready for the restart when we come back. Thank you, Michael. Cheers, thanks. There we go. That's the reaction of Michael Carrick to one-all draw here. Gary Neville is here, as you can see. And Gary, that was really interesting what you said on commentary there.

40:48Watching Manchester United since you were five years old, that is the worst 15 minutes of football that you can remember seeing from Manchester United.

40:57Gary Neville:Sticking to your guns on that one? Yeah, I was purely referring to the fact that they walked around the pitch. I've never seen a Manchester United team walk out of possession as much as that. And Michael just said there that he was happy with the team's energy. Michael's got to stop defending them. He's got to stop defending them. I get why he's defending them. He's loyal. He wants his players to work for him. And obviously there's a long way to go in the season. To be fair, sometimes we can say things that can be... What option does he have, Gary, when he's got to take these players with him?

41:27I get that, but both teams were the same.

41:31Gary Neville:I called them mannequins. They were absolutely mannequins. I've never seen a Manchester United team for 15 minutes walk around out of possession as much as that. No alertness, no liveliness, no sort of on your toes. You should be always on your toes. There's no sort of shifting up two or three yards. Just walking when Fulham were in possession. Fulham had 46 passes in the first couple of minutes of the game to get a chance. 46 passes Fulham against Manchester United. I don't know how many over 10 pass sequences Fulham had in that match. Michael is going to have to... It's a great time for the international break and for the three weeks.

42:05Gary Neville:It's a great time. Because there needs to be a rebalance. He's got too many players in the team. I mean, I actually wish he could play those attacking players, but they're going to kill him defensively. It's not just the defence and the back four that cause him a problem. You've got Mbermo and Rashford who are too wide and too high, and they don't narrow back in. He knows that position better than anybody. He used to get back in and narrow your midfield. You've then got Telemans and Mainu in midfield, who are a little bit one pace, so Belieber probably will come in there. And then Bruno, to be fair, at times just floats around a little bit.

42:35Gary Neville:Then you've got Kunyuru who floats around a little bit. So you've got these sort of five or six players, really, who are all better with the ball than without the ball. It would be great to see them go and score loads of goals and maybe concede one or two and win games. But there is going to have to be a reset from a point of view of defensive structure because there's far too many of them walking on the pitch that don't think they have to do the ugly part of the game. And I never, very rarely do I say that a team doesn't work hard or is lacking in effort because that's the ultimate criticism that you can give a group of players.

43:02Gary Neville:And I always think football players want to wake up in the morning and they want to have won the football match and not get criticised. So I'm always very careful to say that. But that first 15 minutes, that second half, Manchester United without the ball, and generally for the first six minutes, we're an absolute disgrace. Nowhere near good enough without the ball. Nowhere near good enough. Disgrace is heavy. I think there is moments in the game where I said the pass was very slow. The momentum of going forward, the risk-taking was not the standard we expect. And that's why Fulham get comfortable.

43:34They had that confidence because they see in a position that take the time. They seem to walk around, they seem to have press. So he means that instead of pressing and stop maybe at one meter, they stay at three and allow the youth to have another pass. Do you agree with Michael Carrick then, who was asked whether they were passive in that first 15 minutes? I understand what Gary is saying. He's trying to protect his player. Definitely he's trying to do this. And we know his character is not someone who's going to be maybe conflictual and especially give food for the media. That's not his style.

44:07but in some of the patches of the game he should not accept this. I understand. This grace is like there seems at the moment they are not aware of it. They seem like it's comfortable so the animation is not right.

44:20Gary Neville:Louis, they're not aware of it. I think Manchester United have got the second or third oldest team in the league. Most of those players have got over 50 international caps. How can they not be aware of it? You know what I'm saying? It's because back in the day where we were playing... I'm not talking about back in the day. No, but that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm talking about. Listen. Do you see what I'm talking about? Nottingham Forest in Coventry. Let's just start with that. No, I understand. But the moment where some players take the responsibility to say, we are not accelerating, guys.

44:47I don't see this. I don't see any players. Leadership, he took it. Yes, in some way. Some players take it over and say, listen, that's not good enough. We need to speed up the play because it's too comfortable for the opposition.

44:56Gary Neville:But nine of those players have got more than probably 50 caps for their country. Yeah, but they don't speak about it. That's what I'm saying. They don't speak about it. Could it be a consequence of the week they've had? The start of the season they've had. which started in the worst possible fashion losing at home. It could be something for the start of the season. But I understand both points as well. You know, I don't think Michael Carrick's going to come out and say, you know, we weren't playing with energy, we weren't getting to the ball. Of course, we play with managers that are going to protect the players.

45:21Michael Carrick's going to do the same. But inside, when they're in the dressing room, when they're back at Carrington, I think that he will then be saying and showing them clips, listen, you've got to get to the ball. You've got to get up to the ball quicker. You've got to run more. Like we said there, Fulham outrun them again. And it could be a number of different factors. But Michael Carrick will not accept you not sprinting to the ball, not getting up to the ball, not shuffling across. There's too much it being too nice. Like Louis said there, there's leaders in that team, but it doesn't look like anybody's talking.

45:53You know, to say to someone else next to me, listen, you're not running. We didn't have that. Who should start that in this team? Everyone. Everyone's a leader on that pitch. When you come on that pitch, you might have one captain, but there's got to be everyone that's talking because you help each other. The defenders will help the midfielders. The midfielders will help the attackers. That's what is needed. It needs to have voices all around the pitch. And if you haven't got that, then people will just be getting away with it in the games. But I don't think Michael Carrick will accept that. Let's remind you where Manchester United got to as we head into the international break, their joint lowest points five games into the season.

46:27how far below this is what you expected from Manchester United Gary at the start of this season given the way they ended last?

46:34Gary Neville:I think each of the five Premier League games have brought Michael a different problem the first game of the season I think Hull surprised them with their physicality their aggression, I think the set pieces, I think they just caught them out and that was how they lost that game Ipswich then in the first half caught them on the counter-attack and then CISO kept getting in between them and there was a little bit first signs there that maybe Manchester United's defensive balance wasn't right and they were going to have problems against teams who counterattacked. Everton was game management in the last 10 minutes when they obviously were sort of in front and they didn't manage that game well.

47:02Gary Neville:The City game, a whole host of different things happened in that game. Obviously a terrible goal to go against them, but also not being able to handle playing against 10 men and know how to have the idea to play against 10 men. Today was a different problem altogether. I thought it was a team who, to be fair, without the ball, Dave, was so easy to play against. And I'm going to repeat it for the first 15, 20 minutes of that second half. You talk about Manchester United having 26 shots, Fulham could have scored four or five goals as well. And Manchester United were walking out on that pitch, all of them in front of Lehmann's.

47:31Gary Neville:All of them in that first 10, 15 minutes of that second half. That is not acceptable. That is not acceptable. So they responded well. From a positive perspective, they've come away with a point, thankfully, or else it would have been doom and gloom. And that was a good response to the fact that they actually went a goal down. But the fact they've had to get into that position. and what I'm saying about Michael, I hope Michael is, to be fair, giving them a real grilling behind the scenes in respect of that performance because that will land Michael in a lot of trouble, that type of work ethic without possession.

48:01Gary Neville:The lack of running, the lack of shuffling across, the lack of getting to the ball, the lack of alertness, the lack of being ready just to sort of get on the front foot, lack of talking to shift up a yard, I didn't see any of that. Any of that and that's a real problem. So the attitude to defend of the team, so what I think they may have to do is go with Belieber in midfield, maybe with Maynou and Tielemans or Maynou and Bruno, maybe go 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 in defence and maybe pull one of the attacking players out. So he's a bit more solid. Maybe that's a reset he could do over the next few weeks.

48:29Gary Neville:But there's going to have to be a rebalance of the defensive structure of the team. Because at the moment, if they carry on like that, they will concede so many goals week after week. And they are doing. I mean, they're lucky today only to concede one. A couple of weeks off and then they go again against Spurs. Now, Spurs fans will call themselves Dr. Tottenham because they have a history of making teams who, in a bad way, feel better about themselves. That is at home for Manchester United, and it feels like a huge game as United come off that international break. Then they're into this two games a week scenario.

49:01Gary Neville:It's a tough run, that, isn't it? And maybe there's just a reset in the next three weeks that will be needed ahead of that run of games. I think it's definitely needed. I think there's a lot of work that's going to be done in these next few weeks, especially with these run of games coming up. They worked so hard to get Champions League football. You don't want to go into the Champions League not playing in the right way, not running. You're going to play against Atletico Madrid. Diego Similone's teams will run non-stop. As will Como. As will Como, as I think will lead. I've not played Leeds away, but you can see exactly how intense them games are.

49:37If the intensity is not there, if you're not running, you're going to come unstuck in these games. These are massive games that you've got coming up. They're not easy. They've got tough games coming up.

49:46Gary Neville:just quickly Ashley's language is a lot Ashley's language is a lot more pleasant than mine right so well I might say disgrace and say the reason I refer to the word disgrace is when I see teams as Ashley says not running for 15 minutes I think of that as being a disgrace not running is the only thing that I will call a disgrace to be honest with you we've got a couple of clips for you Gary see if we can if this illustrates what you're talking about here This is in that stage at the start of the second half. Just watch Bruno. Watch Bruno. Watch Cunha. Watch Maynou. Watch Benbermo. A couple of them may be jogging.

50:26Gary Neville:A couple of them may be jogging. But look at this. You might look at the two midfield players. They're walking. The two midfield players are walking. The two front players are walking. The back four are walking. Do we think that's right? Do any of us think that's right? Could this be a tactical plan as well, Gary? And just hear me out on this. Whether they're trying to get Fulham to come through them so they open the space up behind them. That's a plan. Could it be? Of counter-attack, as they done last year? Yeah. Something like this? No, there's deep defending. I get deep defending. Hang on a minute.

50:53Gary Neville:Let's be clear. There's nothing about this that can be planned. No, I think my problem is more when they have the ball. They are way too slow. Definitely, like, we've seen some teams... That's because you're a tackle, you see it differently. Yes, that's what I mean. This is where I think having, like, two different, you know, opinion is important. I think when you look at the opposition and you try to let them pass, it happens. But yes, the commitment of trying to press, when you decide to press as a group, yes, maybe there is a lack of belief and aggression. I totally get it, especially in the 15 minutes.

51:29But when the pass, you recover that ball and you think that you're walking around and you think that you're going to be the best player because you have the best player with Rashid, with Mbwemo, that's a problem for me.

51:40Gary Neville:That's great, because I mean, look, I watch United when they get the ball, I actually think they come to life a little bit and they look brighter. Louis thinks they're far too slow, and I see it the other way. When they're defending, I just see apathy and just generally just ambling around the pitch, walking. Whereas Louis sees it the opposite way, that actually when they're in possession, he thinks they are. I think they're actually brighter in possession. Actually, Gary says that the team needs a reset, but it's going to be with this group of players, isn't it? It doesn't really get much better than this in terms of the 11 on the field.

52:07I suppose Cesko could force his way into it Baliba as Gary says could come into that midfield and might add a bit more energy and dynamism but how do you reset everybody else? I think it's like what you said that players are going to go off on international duty now the ones that are there that are working are going to have to work and then relay that to the players that are going to come back from international duty it's not going to be easy it's going to take time but when you go into the fixtures you've got coming up it's going to be hard it's going to be difficult But like I said, I'm sure behind the scenes, Michael Carrick is going to be saying to the players, listen, it's there to see the stats, the running stats, the sprints.

52:45Whatever it is, you're not doing enough. We know Manchester United teams. We were set on working hard. You work hard, you get up to the ball. I don't know whether it's going to be shape that they're going to be doing in training when it is defensive shape. Maybe they are sitting off, waiting and thinking, you know, last season when we was in our shape, we waited and we counter-attacked. Louis said it. That's what the team played off. So maybe that's what they've come into this season. And now teams are like, well, we're going to give you more possession. And now it's a reset of, well, we haven't had that much possession last season.

53:16We played more counter-attacking football. So it's going to be massive these next couple of weeks to implement more of that, more of running, sprinting up to the ball, defensive shape, and getting the forwards working together. As an attacker, as Gary said, we have different perceptions. What I said, like the reason I killed me as a striker, if I do my runs, if I see that the midfielders are taking too many touches, I don't know what to do. I feel like the United side need this confidence, need that contract with the kind of tempo. And this is where now he impose Kobe Mainou in the midfield. When he's got pressure, he's better.

53:58When he's like too comfortable, I think he's like slow down his game. and that's not good for his team. And I think there is like a lot of players, it could be Filament and he's going to be Pelébar. If he's not giving the animation and say, listen, you have to bombard forward, you have to press, you have to do this, this is where he's putting the team in danger. And this is where it doesn't matter. Don't play for playing 90 minutes. I want you to play for full energy. And if you're dead after 70, someone comes in. And this is the problem that I see too many times, too many games. Gary, what do you think on this?

54:31They've had 29 shots. They've responded to going a goal down in a positive manner. So does the manager come under pressure? Sorry, what do you mean? Michael Carrick. Does pressure start to build even more on it?

54:44Gary Neville:Of course he'll come under pressure, but I just want to be clear. Fulham were as bad defensively as Manchester United were, and I said that continually throughout the game. Both of them were the worst I've seen defensively in the Premier League this season by a long way. So that game was a nothing at times, to be fair. It was the fact there were 29 shots. Both defences... No, 29 shots from Manchester United. Yeah, but how many shots did Fulham have? It was 41 in all, so 12. But still, Fulham had really good chances. Fulham had three, four, five chances in the first half where they could have scored.

55:14Gary Neville:And for me, I look at that game. Michael, I'm sure he's saying a different... Of course he's saying something different in front of us than what he's saying privately. That would have really worried me today, that. That would have really worried me. So do people start asking questions about the manager? Answer that question. Of course they're going to ask questions about him. But he knew that when he took the job. But there's no panic in that sense. No one's talking about Michael Carrick and putting pressure on Michael Carrick. What I'm saying is, though, if those types of performances continue, he will find himself in a lot of trouble.

55:45Gary Neville:They've got to work harder than that for him. I'm absolutely not changing my mind on that. Those players have got to work harder for Michael Carrick or it will cause him a massive issue because they didn't work hard enough today. And that's the biggest criticism I can give you. I think all of those players and I've said I've liked them for six months of last season under Michael Carrick they can all work a lot harder than that they're getting outrun in every single match outrun in every single match let's just deal with that as a basic to start with now I get the fact someone will say okay we counter attack and we don't use as much energy and all that sort of stuff they're older I get it but is it a team that needs resetting from a point of view it's got too imbalance from players who don't want to actually to be fair do the ugly part of the game and I think it's just gone over the edge and too balanced the other way and the imbalance has gone too far the other way.

56:33Gary Neville:They need to work harder defensively or else they'll have massive issues. They will not go to Como, Atletico Madrid, Leeds United and get away with it. They might get away with it at Fulham, but they'll not get away with it in those games. They haven't been helped. The transfer hasn't been great. So some of those animations, again, that's my word, not the system, hasn't helped the manager. Basically, he's dealing with what he has. Some are injured, some may not at the top form, confidence, whatever. And this is where they go into Fulham ground, which you have to respect, but they don't come with the team that show Manchester United side is going to go with this confidence, with this speed.

57:16They are naturally 80%. They're not playing to the full because of this squad who is not naturally positioned in a way to actually impose this reason. That's my problem. So, yes, he's going to be under pressure because he's the manager of United and it's a big club, but people understand. This transfer market wasn't good and they have to really raise their hand and say, OK, yes, so we have to deal with this maybe for the next three months and see how we can manage this.

57:45Gary Neville:He didn't get one of his first choice choice midfield players. So they needed three, always needed three. He wanted Anderson, he wanted maybe Tenale, he wanted Fernandes, he wanted maybe a couple of others that he didn't get and they went to other clubs. So he didn't get one of his first choice midfield players. If he was sat out there today with Elliot Anderson in midfield and Fernandes and Tonali, that's a different game. He then didn't get the two defenders that he really needed to make sure that they were better defensively. So I completely agree with you that there's no doubt that Manchester United should have done better for Michael Carrick and he should have insisted that they brought those players in for him.

58:22And a creative player as well? Someone who can break the lines? I've liked a bit more than Elliot Anderson.

58:27Gary Neville:If you look at what they've got up top, I'm not saying that they're all right players, but you've got Ahmad, Embermo, Shesko, Kunja, Rashford, Fernandes, Mount, Dorgu. You've got eight players there in that area. Yes. It's a lot. It's a lot. You know what I mean? I'm not saying they're all... Did you say Zerksi? Zerksi. It was the player they turned to in the second half. Nine players in that area, plus Shea Lacey. So someone has to maybe play outside their comfort zone. Someone has to play in a different world, a different tempo. I don't see them. There is not someone who is close to Bruno Fernandes creating those passing.

59:02Mason could be, but he hasn't proved. Maybe his fitness hasn't helped. But we needed someone who's a playmaker, can impose this rhythm, understanding. I come back to the old days again, but Paul Scholes was able to do it without the legs. I'm not saying that he wasn't running, but he was able to find those passing. I'm going to ask Ashley a question,

59:22Gary Neville:because you played, I was coached with England when you played, right? And Roy used to play you all the time on the left-hand side. Your work ethic was absolutely incredible. What do you see out there from why players' work ethic compared to the work ethic you were put in for Manchester United and for England? I think it's totally different now, yes. You know, I saw Marcus Rashford out there today and you know at times I was told you need to work back as well with the full-backs. I think because of Manchester United, have got this style of wanting to play on a counter-attack, he's wanting to go the other way.

59:54Instead of going back to help Luke Shaw, he's going to be in a position where if the full-back goes on, Castanho, if he's going to go on, he could be in a position to pick up the ball and then go forward. I think Brian Ambruma was exactly the same. You know, Andy Robertson at times will go in and go in and go in. He would stay and not have to defend. Maybe that's a style that they've adopted. You then have the centre midfielders that come out. Kobe Maynum comes out, Telemans then goes out, and then it leaves massive spaces in the middle. There's got to be somebody in that team that says, listen, we're not working back enough.

1:00:28We've got to talk to each other and say, listen, I need you here. You play as a fullback, I play as a fullback. If you had a winger in front of you that wasn't working back and you had 2v1 most of the time, you'd be saying, forget this counter-attacking, I need you back here because this is where the threat's coming from. So I think there's something there where the players, the wide players are told maybe you don't have to work back as much because at times I know I had to work all the way back to literally right back or left back positions but it could be that way with the look how last season was

1:00:57Gary Neville:we're letting them off the hook because I played for the club for 25 years under a guise of we want world class players who work like league two players that's it which is what was always said about Gaslona as well absolutely world class players who work and head and tackle and run like league two players that's it and that's not being disrespectful for the League 2 because I watch it every single week but they work their absolute guts off those players to get back into shape and that's what you want there's no excuse for them not So is it all the fullbacks or the wingers? But to be fair I would say the front part of the pitch today I don't think any of that six were showing the level of urgency that I would expect without the ball you say with the ball as well but I say without the ball to be fair because I look at it from a defensive perspective

1:01:45Thanks for listening to the Sky Sports Premier League podcast. Make sure you give us a follow so you don't miss an episode. See you next time.

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