Man Utd tactical changes: Gary Neville hails "spot on" changes during Bournemouth draw as Ruben Amorim displays flexibility
Gary Neville hails mid-game tactical tweaks from Ruben Amorim as Man Utd manager shows more flexibility in draw with Bournemouth but says 'big problems' remain
Tuesday 16 December 2025 08:35, UK
Gary Neville said Ruben Amorim finally got his system "spot on" during Manchester United's thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday Night Football - but the head coach was again left frustrated as he watched his side "lose concentration" to give up their lead three times at Old Trafford.
There had been question marks before the game whether Amorim would ditch his trademark 3-4-3 formation for the first time in his professional managerial career - and ahead of kick-off he told Sky Sports' Monday Night Football team he would need tactical flexibility when losing players to the Africa Cup Of Nations.
And there appeared a new sense of fluidity not seen before by his United side to date.
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher was reminded of the Manchester United sides of old under Sir Alex Ferguson, while Neville said early into the game: "The Manchester United defence is performing like a back four but there are times when it slips into a five.
"But Ruben Amorim has certainly done something different here tonight. Maybe it's Leny Yoro is coming over towards Antoine Semenyo."
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Later into the second half, with the hosts trailing 3-2, Amorim switched to a clear four-man defence with Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot as full-backs and Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha either side of Bryan Mbeumo and substitute Benjamin Sesko in attack.
"We've been critical of Amorim for not having the right system and players on the pitch with the stubbornness for the system he plays, but in this period of the game, he's got it spot on," Neville said.
"The players you want on the pitch are there. Amad on the right, Mbeumo and Sesko up front, Cunha to the left, Mainoo and Fernandes as the midfield pair and then the back four.
"There's no excuses now."
United undone by familiar defensive issues
But for all their good play, United's continued inability to hold onto a lead saw them drop two more points through Eli Kroupi Jr's 84th-minute leveller, meaning they have let 10 points slip from winning positions this season - enough to put them joint top of the Premier League.
"We are not winning games sometimes in the details because it's a back four, back three, back five," rued Amorim. "It's the details that we need to work, understand the momentum of the game.
"You need to be more clinical, because today against a very good team we create so many chances to win the game."
Carragher was similarly unimpressed by Manchester United's defending but felt the quality of their attacking, particularly before half-time, was as good as he had seen from an Amorim side in the 59 games since he joined the club.
"It's the best I've seen Manchester United play, certainly in the first half, under Amorim," he said. "They were fantastic, especially in that first 25 or 30 minutes.
"It was almost a throwback to Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, with Gary Neville playing. Fast attacking football, people being energetic, making runs forward, being positive, being on the front foot, winning the ball back early. There were lots of that."
On the club's ongoing lack of clean sheets - of which Amorim now has the seventh-worst ratio in Premier League history - Carragher added: "It's a big problem for them. They had problems at both ends of the pitch last season.
"We highlighted pre-match that they're improving in attack and we saw that again tonight. I thought the attacking players for Manchester United were fantastic.
"They had a lot of young defenders out there tonight that didn't help. I've been there, more often than not when you make a mistake as a young defender, it ends up in the back of your goal and that was the mistake tonight.
"Even though it ended up at 4-4 and Bournemouth should have won it at the end, Manchester United were by far the better team. That was the first time in a long time, and certainly under Amorim, that I felt like I was watching how Manchester United should be.
"Just wave after wave of attacks, counter-attacks, and almost the opposition feel like they're getting sucked back into that box in front of the Stretford End. You can't get out."
