'We've gone backwards' | Neville reacts to Man Utd's 'baddest of the bad' draw with Wolves

0:00Seb Hutchinson:Well, welcome to the Gary Neville podcast after, it's fair to say, an underwhelming draw from a Manchester United point of view against the bottom club in the league. Let's start with the home side tonight. They were booed off at halftime and booed off at full time, Gary. Yeah, they weren't just booed off at full time.

0:18Gary Neville:The little walk around which the United players have started to do now every single match irrespective of the result, the fans waited in the stadium to continue to boo them. sometimes I think when you get a boo at the end of the game it's the majority that boo and then you get when they walk around the ground the ones that stay in usually will not just signal the fact that they're appreciative of the fact that they're walking around but that wasn't it they were staying in to boo them

0:44Gary Neville:I'm not going to stay I'm not going to get emotional because I don't think it's something that is helpful for anybody but that was the baddest of the bad that that was the baddest of the bad because it was we saw them warming up before the game and they were warming up in the system of the three at the back with Heaven to the right Martinez and Shaw and then up front they had Dallow on the right wing back Dorgoo left wing back and then they had Xerxes on the right channel Kunja in the left channel and Sesko and I said to you I said they were warming up in the wrong shape against Newcastle to fool everybody the other night and then ended up playing with the back four.

1:27Gary Neville:So I said, I'd ignore that. As soon as I saw that shape was actually going to be played, I've seen Zerksy in that right channel before. It just doesn't work. We know that Dorga was a left wing back. We've seen him play there a number of times now. It's the turn, sorry, I'm hearing something. We've seen him play there a number of times now and he does okay there. He's willing. And so he's Dalot at right wing back. I think they're both willing. I played that position and I think that was a pretty decent right back. It's a bloody tough position to play right wing back or left wing back. It just is.

1:58Gary Neville:And I thought Dogu was so good on the right wing against Newcastle. I just thought he looked free. He could cut in on his left foot. He looked more inventive. He looked more like a wide player. So I was struggling with it from 30 seconds. But what I didn't want to do was start the sort of negativity after 30 seconds. Because, you know, the reality is you've got to let a game settle in. And if you go score two, you look a little bit stupid as well. But let's be really clear. After five minutes, I thought that's not going to work all night. that is going to be a bad performance. He's going to have to change that after 15 minutes.

2:28Gary Neville:After 15 minutes, he didn't change it. And after 20 minutes, I said, this is it. They might score two. I think my words were, they might score two in the next 10 minutes, but this is not right. And I've been very complimentary of the last two or three performances, Bournemouth, Villa, Newcastle, because there've been things in those three performances that I've liked. And I think I genuinely believe that entertainment and performance matters. matters for two reasons at this club one is that these fans come here to be entertained like every single other football fan in the country but you've got to entertain here there's 75 000 of them coming and they want entertaining and secondly i genuinely believe that performance leads to results i know some people say oh results everything but it's very difficult to play football so it's very difficult to win a lot of football matches if you're not performing well yeah we all come out with the old cliche of it's great to win when you don't play well but that can only be maintained for a short period of time eventually if you're not playing well you'll start to basically fall over in your in your results so for me the last two or three games when we've seen something like you think actually that's something to build on he got a little bit I'm not I don't say confident but a little bit strange in his press conference didn't he a couple of days ago when he started saying I've not changed because of the media you don't need to say look I think he's great with the media Ruben Amrim I think he's honest I think he's authentic he's got great integrity he doesn't need to be clever or second guess the media he doesn't need to answer to the media he doesn't need to sort of say I haven't changed because of the media because he then he's telling us basically that the media is in his head the reason he's had to change is because the performance levels with the 3-4-3 have been so poor the performance levels have been so poor and the results have been appalling.

4:19Gary Neville:If the performances are good, but you draw against Bournemouth and you lose against Villa, we're a glass half empty club when it comes to performances. We'll actually live with, if we're entertained. And that sounds really crazy from a group of players that have, you know, played, I played out here and won trophies, but honestly, I just come here to be entertained. I do. That's the first thing that I think. I want to walk across that forecourt and see my team play brilliant football and excite the crowd because that's the kid in me that sat over there in this stand. So when I see that we go back after five minutes tonight and I'm thinking, oh, Ruben, why have you done that?

4:56Gary Neville:It was really simple tonight. It was more simple. Do you know the AFCON players aren't here? We know the injuries are not there. It's actually made his job more simple. There's more sympathy for him. Sesko plays up top. Cunha plays to the left. Dorgue plays to the right. Zerksi plays in that little hole off Sesko. you've got Agati and Casemiro in midfield you've got Luke Shaw left back you've got Aidan Heaven and Martinez centre-backs and you've got Dallow at right back it's not an amazing team but it's really obvious that that's the team that should be picked in the system that we should be playing tonight and it should have been picked and it was so obvious it's Zerkesy's best position dropping in Cesco's got someone close to him which means he's not playing up front on his own Kunio just off to the left and he can drift in really that's fine because you've got Shaw that can go around him his Shaw's really good to play with on that side you've got Dallow then coming from behind on this side but he's got Dorgue who can cut in which means that Dallow can go around and to be fair Aiden Heaven the big question mark should have in that system would be Casemiro and Agati and Heaven and Martinez however I thought Agati and Casemiro did really well against Newcastle I thought Agati had his best game for the club and then I thought Aiden Heaven and Martinez did brilliantly against Newcastle and actually to be fair he never had his best game for the club and Martinez came back you know from being out so I thought that those four would just be certain to start in there and I think tonight look I don't all I always want to put sort of it's not just the manager it's not just the players it's not just every there's a culmination of everything when you get a bad performance but I do think tonight the manager has to look at that and think I got that wrong I complicated it they just needed simplicity and playing Zerkesi in that right channel playing Dorgue at left wing back, playing Dallow at right wing back.

6:45Gary Neville:And then the substitutions, to be fair again, the substitutions made us worse. They made Manchester United worse. Every single substitution was bizarre. I don't know what's happened with Zerksi at half-time. Just to clarify, we're still waiting to hit the man room. Well, look, I think if Zerksi was injured, fair enough. You've got to get him off the pitch. If Zerksi wasn't injured, and that was a tactical substitution, it was a really poor one. and I'm not saying Zerkesy is Eric Cantona or he's not let's be clear by any stretch of the imagination but I have to say he needed to be out there for physicality for presence for experience and he'd scored and he'd scored you couldn't take him off so I'm hoping he's injured so let's have a word I don't mean that in a bad way I'm hoping he's injured for Ruben Amorim to give him that reason

7:31Seb Hutchinson:let's say a word for Wolverhampton Wanderers who are still winless in the Premier League that can't take away and in many ways Rob Edwards will look at that game and think actually we could have won that in the end.

7:41Gary Neville:Yeah, I mean, look, I mean, I said, to have two points from 18 matches is absolutely appalling. I mean, it's terrible. I mean, devastating for Wolves fans. But they got encouragement early on. They started to settle on the ball. I thought Gomez in midfield was really good. He sort of got on the ball and played well. Huang's always a sort of talented player. I thought the back players, to be fair, I thought that Cesco caused a few problems with Doherty, I think, rolling him and then maybe on the crosses, Cesco looked like a bit of a threat. But generally, the way that Manchester United played, I think played into Wolves' hands and Wolves grew in the game with confidence.

8:18Gary Neville:Look, Wolves deserved a point tonight, absolutely no doubt whatsoever. We've talked about Manchester United there for probably five, six minutes. But I have to say, Wolves deserved at least a point in that game. They took the ball, they created chances. Juan got a couple in the first half. Tolu had a really good header, didn't he, at the end of the first half, just before actually the Crecce goal. And second half was even. The stats were even. Possession United shaded it a little bit, but I think goals expected. Wolves were on top. I think touches in the box, Wolves were on top. That might have changed in the last 10 minutes when United threw bodies forward, but I thought Wolves were absolutely fantastic.

8:56Gary Neville:I mean, they're going to go down Wolves and they're going to go down miserably, it looks like. But tonight they've played well in the game and they've passed it around well. They've lacked a bit of a punch. They could. Look, they could have gone and won that game. They could have done something really special and give those Wolves fans over in that far corner who were sort of rubbing their hands a little bit with that corner that was coming in in the last couple of minutes. But they'll be proud and think Rob Edwards has come close with what happened, obviously. I think they played quite well at Liverpool, I believe, and Arsenal.

9:28Gary Neville:And tonight they've done well again, so he'll feel it's something to build on. But yeah, they absolutely deserve their point here tonight, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

9:36Seb Hutchinson:I mean technically they have closed the gap on the side who are closest to well the side just out of the relegation zone in Nottingham Forest who lost at home to Everton. Now we weren't able to watch the other games that took place tonight but looking some of the score lines what popped out to you? Chelsea perhaps because that's a missed opportunity for Manchester United again. Yeah I mean I look at Chelsea.

9:59Gary Neville:I mean did you tell me before the game that Chelsea had a team that average age was 23? 23. which should be something that we really look at and think that's a positive thing. I love the idea of young players playing, but when I think of the Chelsea teams that have won titles, that have won Champions League, they're probably the most experienced teams you'll ever see. I don't think of Chelsea playing a lot of young players. I mean, that happened a little bit when Frank came in, didn't it, when they couldn't sign those players for 12 months. And obviously since the new ownership have come in.

10:34Seb Hutchinson:They haven't had that problem since then.

10:36Gary Neville:No, but they've been that change of ownership philosophy. But Chelsea, historically, as a football club, were a very direct, aggressive, physical team that were really mature, that had been around the block. And this is the exact opposite. And they're trying to build a football club in a different way. The problem is, at times, when you watch them, they do look like they play like a young team and they play like an immature team and like an academy football team. Some of their football is absolutely fantastic. I thought they were outstanding against Villa. for large parts of that match. But then as the game just wears on into the sort of home straight, they look like they're going to sort of get beat up.

11:10Gary Neville:And, you know, as soon as Villa made those substitutions the other day, we've not seen the game tonight. But, I mean, let's get to the conclusion it can't be good, can it, for them? When you draw against Bournemouth at home, it's not good. The form that Bournemouth are in. So, yeah, it sounds like a really bad night for Chelsea. It sounds like a moment in Maresca's sort of what would be existence at the club that he's going to find it tough in this next week or two because a lot of questions are going to be asked. We'll talk about the questions being asked of the Manchester United manager, but the Chelsea manager is in a position where he's expected to win.

11:41Gary Neville:Similarly, because of the history of the club and the money that's been spent and invested, and they do play like an immature, inexperienced team. You look at them in the back, you look at them in the centre-back positions, and you look at them up front, and they just look a little bit flimsy, a little bit weak physically and mentally. You don't feel like they're that strong. you know there were questions there were people I think a few weeks ago saying about Chelsea for the title it was coming up every couple of weeks absolutely no chance they haven't got the make up I mean that's not being sort of disrespectful they haven't got the they haven't got the make up of an 11 let alone a squad to be a title winner when you look at the people you look at those men that are playing for Arsenal and for Manchester City they're real strong physical players they're just not going to they're not going to go the distance those young lads at Chelsea people talk about us winning the title here as young players we had six or seven or eight absolute physical animals alongside us playing in that spine of the team you haven't got a Schmeichel, a Bruce, a Pallister a Cantona, a Keane, an Ince those types of players in your spine if you put Cole Palmer and other players in and around the ones I just mentioned there that we were in around you've got a great chance but Chelsea haven't got that physical spine you know Terry Cavalli McAuley S.E.N.

13:00Gary Neville:Drogba you think about that check that's a title winning spy and that's a team that will literally right through the middle stand strong for 38 matches and demonstrate that they can go the whole way they're nowhere near that I mean they're miles off it and it's a problem because they spent a fortune absolute fortune just like they have here and the performance levels they're going to be questions asked unfortunately and usually in these situations in these situations, the questions are asked of the manager.

13:28Seb Hutchinson:So should we end with a side that are top of the Premier League tonight and they, a big win for Arsenal over Aston Villa. Of course, Arsenal have been missing players in recent weeks without Rice tonight but then able to welcome back other players. Where do you see them now? Because of course, Manchester City are hot on their tail and Aston Villa have been keeping that pace. A big win for the Gunners tonight.

13:48Gary Neville:Yeah, look, I think Arsenal are okay. Look, they've got City on their shoulder which is never a piece with Pep there and Haaland and other players that have won many, many titles and Champions League. So they've been around the block, but they're not going to have it all their own way. They're not going to have it easy. And to win your first title is going to be a massive struggle. Let's be clear. But they're in that struggle and they're competing in that struggle. And tonight's a good night for them to win 4-1 against Villa, a team that are in great form and a good run of performances and results.

14:22Gary Neville:Declan Rice is the one player that you look at that I think if he was missing for a longer period of time it would cause a real issue but I've said for a number of weeks now with Arsenal I am not listening to one single excuse they've built a squad that is resilient that is capable of coping with injuries that's got two or three players in each position now that's had a lot of money spent on it and it's been cured over a long period of time by Mikel Arteta who's been given a serious amount of time I'm in the job. This has got to be the season where they lift silverware. They've got the Carabao Cup semi-final coming up in a couple of weeks, a few weeks.

14:59Gary Neville:They've got, obviously, the Champions League, but the Premier League title is the one. It is the one they have to win. That's the one that's going to really change the goal,

15:10Seb Hutchinson:or move the goalposts and be a shift. Sorry, what's that? Well, we're just waiting to hear from Ruben Amarum because it would be nice to find out about the Zerksy situation

15:18Gary Neville:before we go, to clarify it. Yeah, but going back to Arsenal, no excuses. Get over the line in games where you don't play well. They've done that, but they've also, to be fair, I think played well at times this season. So for me, I think they're on track. It's going to be a struggle. It's going to be tight with City. City are going to cause them some problems. City might even pop in front of them from time to time. But I do think Arsenal have got what it takes to win a Premier League title, and it's important that they do, I think, for all concerned there.

15:47Seb Hutchinson:Let's ask one more, because we started talking about Manchester United. Let's end by talking about them because we are at this ground and it's the game that we saw today. What to make of 2025 from their point of view and what are you expecting in 2026, this being the game we've just seen, the last game of 2025 at Old Trafford?

16:04Gary Neville:Do you know something, Seb? I think, look, I'm really disappointed tonight and there's a number of fans that have come into this stadium in the tens of thousands who will be really disappointed because I looked at this run of games Bournemouth at home Everton at home West Ham at home Palace away yeah difficult game Villa away difficult game but then Wolves at home Leeds away near the bottom of the table and Burnley away so you look at that and then Brighton at home in the cup so you look at that run of games and you think there's a lot of points there if this Manchester United team can perform something like and they're not picking up anything like the number of points and they've been given gifts in this last few weeks to be able to get to the Champions League places and those gifts, they've not basically welcomed them with open arms.

16:53Gary Neville:They've literally refused them. And I'm really worried because they should be winning games like tonight. I know there'll be people who say, well, why should they? What right have you got to win a football match? But let's be clear, Wolves have got two points all season. Manchester United at home. They still had a forward line tonight of Cesc Ocuna and Xerxes, that forward line's cost how much? £170 million. Let's not feel sorry for ourselves. You know what I mean? It's like whether you like those players or not, they've cost£150,£160,£170 million between the three of them. So for me, it's a struggle.

17:30Gary Neville:And look, that's a bad one tonight, I think.

17:33Seb Hutchinson:And I'm going to add to you, tactical. That's why Xerxes went off.

17:37Gary Neville:No, that's not right. No, that's not right. I'm sorry. That's a really bad one. That's a bad one. I don't need to say any more than that. That should not have happened. No. No. To pay Xerxes in that right channel in itself is not acceptable because we've seen him in that right channel and left channel before. He doesn't play well there. It's not fair on him. It'd be like him playing me. I'm trying to think where you'd play me that wouldn't be fair. Anywhere but right back probably. Goalkeeper. Goalkeeper, yeah. It'd be like playing me in midfield and say, go on, Gary, go and do us a job. It's just never going to work.

18:14Gary Neville:And then to not put him off the front with Sesko and just put Dorgoo to the right and Kunja to the left and sort of say, let's just drop the game that we're playing here. Honestly, I think that's a really, really poor decision. And look, I was a manager for four months. So there'll be people watching here. What right have you got to talk about being a manager? I can talk about, I've watched 3 ,000 games here. I know what a football match looks like on this pitch. I know what right and wrong looks like on this pitch. And that's not right. It's not right.

18:46Seb Hutchinson:So it seems to be one step forward, one step back for Manchester United at the moment.

18:50Gary Neville:And look, they're going to come under pressure in this next couple of days. I'm disappointed tonight because I think I've seen really good performances, even though we haven't had results in this last couple of weeks, because I've seen that there have been a shift in the enjoyment of the players in the way in which they've tweaked it. What they did at Villa, we'd put in the Acuna, Mount and Fernandes, I think, behind Cesc, didn't they? You know, that was really good. You know, three behind the one, so you've got attacking players on the pitch. What he did against Newcastle I thought was fantastic because I was really worried about what we were going to do.

19:20Gary Neville:But I thought the way in which he played Mount, Kunia Mount and Dorgou and then Cesc, again, I thought he made the best of a bad situation without the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Ahmed and Mbermo. Tonight, I think we've gone backwards because I think the manager is stubbornness. I don't know. I don't know what he's done tonight and it is what it is. let's get home let's get home and it will be alright in the morning we'll get up again and there'll be full house here next time Manchester United play and that's the reality of it 75 ,000 people will walk back across that forecourt with hopes and dreams but that's a bad one

19:56Seb Hutchinson:well thank you Gary and wishing you a happier new year thank you