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- LISTEN NOW: It's all starting! New line-up, some new faces, but optimism has faded at Old Trafford
Manchester United are getting worse under Ruben Amorim and are in the thick of a relegation fight, says Gary Neville.
A miserable 2-0 defeat on Monday night at home to Newcastle leaves the Red Devils in 14th place in the Premier League and just seven points above 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
Worryingly, United are 19th in the form table in their last six games with just one win and five losses, with an aggregate score of 4-13.
Having started the month with a 4-0 thrashing of Everton, they have lost their last three home games against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Toon to degrade their New Year's hopes.
'He (Amorim) was determined not to change, but he must be suffering deep down. I'm worried too. It was really gloomy. That first half hour was difficult to watch for a United fan,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
'There is no doubt: performances and results have deteriorated in recent weeks. Some of the players in the system find it very difficult to have confidence, and the worry is that they will be drawn into a fight near the bottom.
This is Man United's worst team in the last decade and they are being dragged into a relegation fight, says Gary Neville.
He believes they have “deteriorated” with Rubén Amorim compared to Erik ten Hag
United suffered a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle on Monday – their fifth defeat in six league games.
'I think they have a lot to do and that is to be very, very kind. I don't think this group of players has the quality of those that Ten Hag, Ole, José Mourinho or Louis van Gaal have had.
“They weren't good enough for Manchester United in those periods, but they were better teams and squads than they are today.”
It took just four minutes for Newcastle to open up United as Alexander Isak gave them the lead, before Joelinton put them 2-0 ahead with a 19th-minute header.
So far, Amorim has not ushered in the good times that many expected after Erik ten Hag, but he never promised that reform would be easy.
United being criticized by experts is nothing new and the same criticisms now apply as for a long time: lack of energy, big gaps in midfield and imbalance.
Neville continued to beat the drum on Monday night and named two players he believes should not appear together again.
He said: “We know that a lot of what we saw on the field was going to happen.” Casemiro and (hristian) Eriksen in the midfield, Carra has done an article in the studio about (Noussair) Mazraoui and (Diogo) Dalot playing as full-backs and being more defensive and that that would not lead to more goals, and that is exactly what happened.
“Zirkzee's idea in that left pocket, that's not a pocket you stay in, it's a left pocket where you pick up the Newcastle right-back when he comes forward, that's a left pocket that means you make runs. When he said that in He wasn't actually a number nine and seeing him play there surprised me.
Manchester United are in 14th place, seven points ahead of Ipswich in the relegation zone
United have scored just 21 goals in the league this season, the fifth fewest of any team.
'I didn't see any balance in the team selection. Once I saw the team sheet, I was pretty sure it was going to be a struggle. It was a gloomy night.
Can Eriksen and Casemiro start together again? They asked him.
'No no. They may have to do this if there are many injuries. We've all been there in football where you reach 30 and the last thing you want by your side is someone else playing alongside you when you're 30.
'The last thing Eriksen sees next to him is someone who lacks energy. He wants to see someone who can compensate for what he doesn't have and vice versa with Casemiro.
“There are players in other high-level clubs who don't have legs, but they have people around them who can cover the fact that they don't have legs.” “They can't play as two in midfield with those huge gaps that exist.”
