Bruno's brilliance, Chelsea thrills and trouble at Tottenham

0:00Welcome everyone to the Gary Neville podcast at the end of a really entertaining afternoon at Old Trafford. Manchester United have beaten Ipswich by five goals to two for those who are keeping count. And there was a lot to take from it, Gary, actually, funnily enough, for both sides.

0:15Gary Neville:Yeah, I like the game from minute one. I just think that Ipswich surprised me a little bit with a couple of things. One, maybe sort of the naivety of thinking that a team coming up from the Championship, they were positive last week. they would be a little bit more pragmatic coming to Old Trafford and Manchester United would come out of the blocks really quickly Ipswich would probably sit back in maybe a 4-5-1 shape maybe Ncso might just drop a bit deeper in his defensive shape and that they wouldn't be as brave on the ball from the back through Sherpen and Diop and Grease but they really did start the game well in terms of in possession and out of possession, their line was high I thought they were really good but I also thought Manchester United were bright in terms of their play as well once they got it going through midfield and they looked a threat so both teams were causing problems going forward.

0:59Gary Neville:Ipswich probably shaded the first half in the two or three chances that they had. Leif Davis has a second chance, doesn't he, to go 2-0? And Ciso has that one where he runs through the middle which was stunning to me through the middle of Shaw and Embermo who were really powerful and quite quick. And then Ciso, I knew he was sharp but I thought he was sharp over like five, six yards and then he'd sort of over a race, over 50 yards, he'd get caught but no, I thought it was a really good first half. And Ipswich gave a really good account of themselves. That goal just before half-time was a few minutes before.

1:31Gary Neville:Obviously, the Nunez slip was a real killer for them, wasn't it? And it just obviously lifts Manchester United going in at half-time and sort of gets them level. Just a bit more on Nciso. I mean, he's no tractor, he's a Porsche. No, absolutely brilliant. I thought that he... The way in which he played, the positions he picked up caused a real problem for Tielemans and Maynou and Martinez and Maguire. obviously Emerson just sort of occupied the two centre-backs and then obviously he's just floating in behind so they couldn't get out to him and I'm not saying Manchester United were leaving big gaps they weren't, he was operating sometimes in tight spaces but on the counter-attack he was always available he was always in good pockets he just was bright, wriggling in and around and yeah, was the star player I think I said he was the best player on the pitch probably about 52, 53 minutes and obviously we saw Bruno Fernandes I mentioned at that time as well who was picking the ball up in good areas, but Nciso was a real threat.

2:27Gary Neville:You actually said something on commentary about him that obviously last week he just seemed to lie down in the collapse after 60 minutes. He didn't come off today after 60 minutes, but he did flag. And just before Manchester United, when Manchester United had that period before they scored the second and third, where they really were, they'd just stepped it up a gear. He did give it away a couple of times under pressure and looked a bit more tired. So that's something for Gary O 'Neill to monitor. And I think he'll have learned a lot today. maybe more than last week about how maybe he has to tailor away games because it's quite clear that United just really ramped it up and were sort of squeezing them and it was a real struggle for Ipswich's defenders to stay in the game and then he went to a back five but it was already I think 3-1 maybe or 4-1 at the time and I think maybe that's something that he'd have to do in away games start off maybe more positively to try and get a footing in the game like they did and then maybe switch to the five at moments so that they can actually, yeah, just stem the flow of the tide that was coming in.

3:28Gary Neville:And it was, you know, Manchester United were brilliant in the second half, but you're right, Nciso was, it was a beautiful performance. If you could split the game in two, you'd give Nciso the man of the match for the first half and then Bruno Fernandes for the second, two number tens. And of course, Bruno Fernandes was decorated this week. And as you say, no greater decoration than one given you by your peers. And listen, he lived up to billing, didn't he? Yeah, I just don't think that is an award that you can ever question. It's bloody hard to get your opponents to vote for you. You know, if you're named in the PFA Team of the Year and you're named as the PFA Player of the Year or Young Player of the Year like Nico O 'Reilly was this week, you have really impressed a lot of players in the league.

4:13Gary Neville:You've worked hard, you've delivered, you've performed. If you're an attacking player, you've hit great numbers. if you're a defensive player you've been almost unbeatable so yeah for Bruno Fernandes in a it was a strong finish to the season for Manchester United but he is I mean I said on the commentary he's the best signing post Sir Alex Ferguson by an absolute mile they're just showing now about this goal aren't they this one where Harry Maguire sort of sort of scuffs it across goal and then basically it's given because obviously the balls if he'd shot on target bizarrely enough it wouldn't have been a goal so back to Bruno Fernandes and they're still going through that but back to Bruno Fernandes the best signing by a mile post for Alex Ferguson he's got the guts, he's got the courage he's got the belief to play for Manchester United the numbers that he's delivered assists and goals his eagerness and willingness and want to always want to try and impact the game positively to play the sort of killer pass to score a goal, to do the most difficult thing and yeah, he's an outstanding player he really is without him Manchester United would have a real problem but they've got him and with the other forwards around, you know Rashford Embermo, Kunya Ahmad, Seshko, Dogu Mount, I'll bring him into it they have got an excellent group of forwards that will score a lot of goals and create a lot of damage because they've got a lot of directness in there.

5:50Gary Neville:You wouldn't like to play against some of those players. I wouldn't like to have Ahmad running at me. I wouldn't like to have Rashford running at me. I wouldn't like to have Kunio running at me. I wouldn't like to have Mbermo running at me. I wouldn't like to have Bruno Fernandes feeding them. So there's a lot going on there in Manchester United's attack and it's a real plus sign. And that's the big thing out of today, the five goals. I was surprised last week at Hull. Not that they conceded two goals, but they didn't score. That was the thing that disappointed me probably most in the game in some ways because they have got a real threat.

6:18And listen, they wouldn't be human if after half an hour here, 1-0 down after what happened at Hull last week, they didn't feel a certain sense of, oh, this mustn't happen. Oh, there was an uncomfortable 10 minutes, wasn't there? So that presumably says something about the togetherness and the fibre and something within?

6:38Gary Neville:Yes. Look, I've just mentioned the attack and I think it's got a lot going for it. The midfield, I think, is yet to develop and prove itself. You've got Santos in there, you've got Tielemans, you've got Belieber, obviously, when he's fit, and you've got Manu. So we don't know which two are going to play regularly. But the job of that two in there, I think, becomes quite simple for this team. Ordinarily, a two that play midfield for Manchester United, you might say, well, I want assists from one of them, or I want loads of really sort of what will be good passes and switches of play. They actually just need to be really good on the ball, as in sort of quite sound on the ball.

7:25Gary Neville:Not safe, but sound, so they can feed Bruno, or they can feed the forwards, or they can feed the full-backs in wide areas. What they most need to do is make sure that they're always protecting that back four. And that's going to be the key. And obviously, Belieber, that's why he's been signed, because he is the most physical and the most defensive out of that four. They needed that fourth midfield player that had that profile. Now, he's really important because when you get into the games and with respect to Hull who've beaten Manchester United and which have caused Manchester United quite a few problems in that first half today, you can see already that Manchester United's back four can be got at.

7:58Gary Neville:And we knew that because it's the same defenders as last season and the season before. And they conceded 50 last season, so it's not going to change unless they play better, which let's hope they do. but also that midfield two protects them more

8:16Gary Neville:and that has to happen that has to happen they're all still concede a lot of goals they've conceded four in two already they've conceded a lot of chances against Ipswich in the first half who could have scored two or three and this is not going to be a team that's to be fair in the top half of the league more than likely so that would be the concern and I said it before the game in the studio I think we've all been saying it if Michael Carrick could get a defender or two in in the next 48 hours I think it's really important and that's not me shouting oh buy a load of players do this spend your money but if you're gonna if you're gonna wait because what Manchester United have done is they've built they've rebuilt their attack last season they've rebuilt the midfield this season it feels like they're gonna wait to rebuild the defense for another 12 months and I don't know if the two there are one or two defenders available but if there are can you somehow try and advance that money into this window and then spend less next season because it would really make a massive difference if they could get a centre back and a full back in because you saw at the end of the game when Dallot and Shaw go off you've got Yoro playing right back and you've got Masraoui playing left back that's not ideal at all one of them is makeshift full back at best and he's not a full-back and he's willing so there's no sort of lack of willingness for him to play there but he's not a full-back and Masraoui he can play left-back but he's not the left-back that you want there so my view is if he can somehow try and get one or two players and I don't know what's available I mean Lewis Hall was mentioned wasn't I can't see Newcastle ever going to let him go and I'm not even going to annoy Newcastle fans I apologise for mentioning his name because just by mentioning his name there's a suggestion that I might think that he could come to Manchester United but he's an outstanding left-back Miles Lewis-Skelly was mentioned Again, someone who can play left-back, but obviously maybe in midfield.

10:05Gary Neville:So it is going to be a problem. Lissandro Martinez brings control on the ball. You see some great passes from him today. I think all those stats. But that is going to be the question for Manchester United this season, is how do they stem the flow of goals going into the back of their net? Because they've conceded four in the first two matches, and that'll be Michael Carrick's concern. Now, that can be done by being more compact. It can be done by maybe changing the structure of the front part of the team. But you wouldn't really want to do that, because one of the things that's going to keep Michael Carrick in the job other than winning is entertaining these fans.

10:36Gary Neville:And he's done that today. Those fans that are walking away, I know they're getting absolutely soaked probably. It has stopped raining now. They're walking back across that forecourt, having seen five goals, loads of chances. Manchester United play well in the second half. Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick. Loads of really sort of good runs and good shots and good crosses. So they're really happy. So you don't want to take away that. But Manchester United are going to have to when they go to Everton. in the next game, and they're going to have to, when they go to Manchester City, come here in two weeks?

11:07Gary Neville:Yes, yeah. Yeah. They're going to have to be better defensively, they're going to have to be tighter, they're going to have to be more compact, and yeah, that's the big question. Can Michael Carrick get a defender or two in the next 48 hours if he can't, and how does he structure the team? Probably through Belieber coming in. You know, maybe it's Belieber, maybe Belieber and Mainu, and Telemans could play as a three in certain matches in Europe, and maybe Bruno just plays as one of the wider ones, which he's done before. you wouldn't want that but that might have to happen and Michael Carrick may have a thought process to how he can solidify the defensive part without bringing in another defender in and that's something that could be possible but if not I would say as a primary sort of what would be thinking point now it would be can they bring at least one defender in maybe two because that would change the whole dynamic of how you think about Manchester United season the only doubt right now for me is that defensive part of the team and I include the midfield in that as well and how they structure the midfield and whether Belieber settles in.

12:04Okay, moving on. Chelsea have conceded five goals in two games and they've won them both. But they've got a new goalkeeper and they do appear to be a lot of fun. I mean, you had a lot of fun watching them on Monday night.

12:17Gary Neville:Yeah, so they're quite similar to Manchester United. The reason I put Chelsea above Manchester United this season is because they're not in Europe and they've got less confusion of the Champions League. That's the only reason I put them above Manchester United. but they're brilliant going forward I mean they've got so many options but that front three of Palmer, Rodgers and João Pedro that is an outstanding front three, it really is and that's going to excite Chelsea fans, that's what Chelsea fans want I did say on Monday Night Football that I thought Chelsea had to sign a keeper this week and Emi Martínez was the one, he's just a big personality and a big character and a team that's been young, if you've got a goalkeeper that's got experience, they've now got LeCroix at centre-back, they've now got Henderson in midfield and they've now got Welbeck up front and those players might not always play.

13:05Gary Neville:Probably a couple of them will, but maybe a couple won't. But they're there. They're there to provide that experience and that sort of what will be guardianship of sort of standards and what good looks like in the dressing room, what good attitude looks like and not let the young players get away with things. So I think for Chelsea, they've had a really, really good window. it's obvious that Chelsea's weakness as well as Manchester United's is their three centre-backs how do they form a unit I think today it was Lecoye, Fafana and Colwell wasn't it I think it was yeah when I was watching it I think it was I was grabbing bits of it before the game and it's a talented back three but can it keep clean sheets can it keep clean sheets and the answer is at the moment no and if you keep conceding goals and look, I played in teams here that conceded goals by the way, that were far better going forward than defensively, but it undermines what you're trying to do, because not every week your forwards aren't going to score two and three and four every single week there's going to come a week where Cole Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro have a bit of time off, you know, and they don't score a goal for you, then you're going to have to basically keep clean sheets and make sure that you're solid at the back, and that can be helped by Casado and Lavia in front, so for Chelsea and for Javier Alonso, it might be that he has to play less attacking wing-backs and that he maybe has to put two midfield players in there that are both more defensive and that could be the way in which he sort of tightens things up to make sure that that back three don't get as exposed.

14:30Gary Neville:But they're the big questions for Chelsea and Manchester United. Exhilarating going forward, loads of attacking players. You know, there's going to be a lot of thrills at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford and goals, but will those defences undermine them and how much will they undermine them and can they somehow cater for that weakness that they've got in defence by restructuring the team elsewhere in certain matches. And Chelsea go to Arsenal next Sunday, which we're doing the game. I can't wait for that one. So moving across London to Spurs, who haven't scored yet. Did you watch them last night?

15:02Gary Neville:I watched quite a bit of the game. What about Newcastle? What about Visser?

15:12Look, Spurs...

15:15Gary Neville:Look, it's too early for... it's too early to start piling into teams but it's not too early to start asking difficult questions and say what's going on why have these players not embedded better than they have naturally because some teams do come together without a lot of time in pre-season and they do look to be fair like they're pretty good from day one and hit the ground running so when you see teams that sort of are losing matches and they don't look very good and they look disorganised and they look like they're not combining together we shouldn't just accept it and think, OK, it's going to come together in time.

15:49Gary Neville:So it was like last week, Manchester United's defeat away at Hull. You could say, oh, it's only early in the season. They've all been at the World Cup. They're all coming back at different times. You can't say that when you're at a top club. You've got to nip it in the bud. Every defeat is a crisis. The minute you stop seeing a defeat as a crisis in football at a top club, that sounds like a harsh word. But in football, it did feel like we lost. it was a bloody hard thing to swallow back in the day we took it hard, it was horrible because we knew that that was the potential to go to two defeats and three defeats and you're giving encouragement when you get beat to other teams that are playing you in the next few weeks you're giving encouragement so for me, I think Tottenham have got to get themselves right pretty quickly because they're giving encouragement to other teams right now they've been battered at Brentford they've been done at home by Newcastle and they need to get a grip of it quite quickly because teams will fancy their chances going there and you've got to try and make sure that you get rid of that quickly, that negativity spiral.

16:52And you're right, by the way, to pull me up. I mean, Newcastle need a word too.

16:55Gary Neville:Oh, yeah. I just... I never pronounced the manager's name. Geisler? Geisler. Geisler, yeah. I mean... He was gutted last week, wasn't he, when he went in that 96th-minute goal. You could see it on his face and naturally so. his team had worked so well and done so well and we were so, I was pleasantly surprised I actually went up to St. James' Park last week thinking there was going to be turmoil never expected them to do what they did against Liverpool and then yesterday, that was fantastic and Visser, I'm really happy for Visser I really loved him when he was with Umbermo and he played with Ivan Tone, didn't he, at Brentford and they were fantastic they were amazing to watch those three up front it really was, they were so direct and just aggressive and Visser was a big part of that I know Embermo and Tony have had sort of what would be more maybe lines written about them, more headlines, sorry.

17:47Gary Neville:Visser is a fantastic player and we've seen in this last week just what he can be and what he can do. And yes, it's great news for Newcastle and they've signed a couple of players. Things are picking up a little bit for them from a point of view of sort of what would be confidence. And the manager and the players yesterday, that will have done a lot for them. they'll have come together and be they'll get a big energy and a big spirit boost out of that because like you say I'm sure the players will have been asking questions a few weeks ago, Tonali, Gimeraj, Gordon Trippier, Eddie Howe, all leaving massive parts of the recent Newcastle team and squad and management and yeah, I'm happy for Newcastle, well done to them Liverpool have scored four goals this season and good line this which I read this morning, all four of them have been equalisers two two twos what are you thinking

18:46it's bizarre

18:49Gary Neville:the noise that Gakpo might leave I know that Barculler might come in but Gakpo looks like their best forward I actually think he's a real danger Liverpool fans I speak to Cara about Gakpo and he sort of says yeah he scores he looks dangerous but is he really but I actually think someone like him can maybe not be appreciated at times when he's always involved. And I don't think, never underestimate a player. I think Umbermo's a bit like that. There's a lot of scruffy things, isn't there? There's things where you think, but he always keeps coming back and he always wants the ball and he's always there and he's always near something.

19:27Gary Neville:And he does contribute with goals and with assists. Not maybe at a massive level, but it's hard to replace lads like him. And I always think when your main opponents are looking to take him off you, I always think that's a little bit of a worry and I don't think Liverpool can afford so the noise around Gatpo is bizarre to me what's the most bizarre and I said it last week is that they haven't signed a full back a left back and a right back unless they're going to go to three at the back with the three big centre backs that they've got which I mentioned to again to Carra last week on Monday Night Football and I said is it Rauho the boy with Jacquet and Van Dijk that would be three good centre backs and those two that are playing currently, Kerkhez and Frimpong, look like the ideal wing-backs.

20:12Gary Neville:And then you might play the three in midfield of Shobaslai, McAllister and Gravenbursch. And then you've got the two up front of Gakpo and Eketike or you've got Verts and Eketike, or two, Izak, sorry, up front, or Eketike and Izak when he gets back. So you've got that sort of thinking. It looks like a squad that could play a back three. If they're going to play a back four and Kerkhez and Fringpong are going to play full-backs and they're not going to sign a holding midfield player. Liverpool are going to concede a lot of goals. I mean, the two yesterday, the right-back's nowhere to be seen on the first one.

20:53Gary Neville:On the second one, he lets the runner go from the throw-in when he should just mark him and go with him all the way. He's not got a natural instinct to know how to defend. now we used to criticise Trent Alexander-Arnold didn't we for his defensive work just to put this into context Trent Alexander-Arnold and I don't know how to describe this is a lot better defender than Frimpong a lot better and he used to get criticism and he used to contribute 15-20 assists this season and I don't think Frimpong will so I think he's got a place Frimpong in a squad in a team and he may play further forward and he might play a sort of lopsided back four or something like that where you've got maybe a left back that's maybe more of a centre back and you sort of push your right back on a little bit, I can see that type of thing Kerkis doesn't look like he's settled and I've always thought that he's looked like I think at one point last season, I don't want to be disrespectful but he looks like he's an academy player playing at left back for Liverpool and he's not because he's a very good player but they can't play with those two at full back and expect not to concede goals so I'm not sure what's going on there in respect of the recruitment and it's not for me to look after Liverpool's recruitment department Manchester United do have experienced defenders whether you think they're good or not it's another matter but they do have they have got numbers so I just like an upgrade in quality but Liverpool don't think have the numbers obviously Connor Bradley may come back at certain points but he's been injury prone for quite a bit now so I think they're leaving Andoni Uriola well short and I know Andoni Uriola looks like a gentleman doesn't he and you see him on the interviews.

22:34Gary Neville:But if I was him, I would be going in there and I'd be demanding something in the next 48 hours because it will cost him. Liverpool will concede a lot of goals if those two play at full-back in a normal, traditional back four with that midfield. Obviously, at times, they do vacate places. No, they run forward. I think Chobas Lai and Graven Birch are very good going forward and they run forward with the ball well. And Barkler? Barkler? Excited by Barkler? I'm excited by Barkler. I am. I am excited by him. I think he's an exciting player. Liverpool should be signing that type of player. If you think of Barclay, Eketike, Verts, Isaac, Gakpo, Engamoa, that's real excitement up top.

23:17Gary Neville:If Liverpool added a defensive midfield player, a really good one, and two good full-backs, because I like the boy Jacque, he looks like a proper player. I think Liverpool would have a really good chance, but they're being undermined by a lack of recruitment in those full-back areas, and I think in central midfield. I think they need to do something. I don't know if they've got something up their sleeve, but that would be my sort of big take on Liverpool because they will definitely concede goals. You'll see it in the first two matches. Shall we finish just by teeing up Monday Night Football, which is a really good one, Villa or Arsenal?

23:46Gary Neville:Yes, I'm heading over there tomorrow. Are you? No, I'm not. No, it should be good. I mean, look, Villa have added Goretzka. They've brought in Nicholas Jackson. They tried to add someone else earlier on today, but I think it fell through. I'm not sure who it was. but yeah I think Villa needed reinforcements whether they'll be ready for tomorrow I'm not sure have you got to understand whether they'll be ready but look I think Villa beat Arsenal didn't they was it not last season the season before maybe they've been a thorn in their flesh a couple of times recently yeah and obviously I think they beat them obviously I think in one of the seasons towards at the Emirates so look this is a different Aston Villa right now Arsenal looking really strong but it's a good game I'm looking forward to it I love Villa Park and it'll be interesting to see how Arsenal are again.

24:30Gary Neville:Obviously, they look head and shoulders, didn't they, in that first weekend ahead of anybody and everybody. But they've got to maintain that and they've got to show it again and be consistent. But I'm sure they will. Great stuff, Gary. Thank you very much. Thanks, Peter.