Manchester United slipped further behind in the race for Champions League qualification after drawing 1-1 at Brentford, with Neville saying they don’t deserve a spot ahead of Aston Villa or Tottenham. Man Utd face Chelsea on Thursday – watch free match highlights after full-time
By Gary Neville, Football Expert @GNev2
Manchester United’s dismal display in their 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday night was “very worrying” says Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.
His former club were dominated by relegation-threatened Brentford for the majority of the contest and even when Mason Mount looked to have delivered a smash-and-grab win with an injury-time goal, United blew their chance of an unlikely victory by conceding in the 99th minute.
The result and performance suggests they will have a huge task on their hands to overhaul Tottenham or Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification. They are currently eight points off fifth-placed Tottenham and 11 behind fourth-placed Villa, who have played a game more.
“I watched Man Utd at Brentford and like everyone else, I couldn’t believe what I was watching,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
“I thought they would put a bit of pressure on Tottenham and Aston Villa on the run-in.
“It’s actually really difficult to play that badly. Usually, whatever team you play against, even if you are a top team, the other team will have five or 10 minutes of play or a period of domination.
“I can’t remember any point in the game where Man Utd did anything well at all.
“It was a horrible performance.”
On the race for a Champions League spot, he added: “[Aston Villa and Tottenham] will drop points but if you look at United’s level of performance, you just think that not only will they struggle to get into that fifth or fourth spot, they don’t deserve to at this moment in time with what we are seeing.”
“United are one of the worst teams out of possession”
Most concerning for Neville was the drop-off from United after the feelgood factor of their dramatic FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool at Old Trafford before the international break. There was no sign of the intensity that uplifting result may have given them in their performance in west London.
Inconsistency has been a major issue for United throughout the season and Neville highlighted the team’s approach out of possession as a big factor.
“I can’t explain that performance. I have no idea where it comes from,” said Neville. “It’s very worrying that you can go to that level of low.
“You know you can play badly in football, you know you can have players missing, you know you can miss chances and you know sometimes you don’t feel quite right, but that was a dismal, dismal effort in an attempt to play football, in an attempt to work as hard as you possibly can.
“When Man Utd give the ball away their reaction to giving the ball away is non-existent compared to all the other teams I see. They really are one of the worst teams you can see out of possession in terms of making it difficult for the other team.
“What we saw from Arsenal at Man City, and you see the levels of defending, compactness and the work ethic of all the front players to be a cohesive unit and defend together, there’s none of that at United.
“I’m not saying the defenders or the midfield players are blameless because they can do a lot better themselves as well, but there’s not a unity at all. There’s no idea of how to defend and how to play without the ball.
“It just wasn’t very good and there are worrying signs that you can get to that level of low in their performance.
“You think about where Man Utd were at before the international break, they had one of the most incredible moments [against Liverpool]. They should’ve been absolutely bouncing into that game at Brentford and yet, we saw what we saw.”
Neville expects improved United against Liverpool on Sunday
Man Utd have a tough week ahead, with a trip to Chelsea on Thursday followed by a home Premier League game with Liverpool on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
However, Neville expects a better effort from United in that reunion with Liverpool.
“You think about next week and they won’t be that bad next week against Liverpool. They can’t be that bad,” he said.
“But in the game in the FA Cup, Liverpool should have gone and won the game. In the second half they dominated the game.
“If Liverpool do their jobs next week then Manchester United will be in a lot of trouble.
“But it will be different. There will be something there, a different feeling and a different spirit.”