On August 30, during a Sky Sports podcast, Neville argued that Manchester United's biggest issue remains defensive stability. Carrick needs to strengthen the defense before the transfer deadline, or he must solve the problem through tactical adjustments, such as changing formation or bolstering midfield protection. Regarding Chelsea, Neville acknowledged their attacking potential and effective recruitment, but highlighted vulnerabilities in their three-center-back system. The team must improve defensive stability and avoid over-reliance on attacking players. Speaking about Tottenham Hotspur, he believes the team cannot hide problems behind the excuse of "needing time to gel." Continued losses will affect confidence, and solutions must be found quickly, otherwise they will fall into a negative cycle.

On Manchester United's upcoming match against Manchester City

Neville: Manchester United must be more defensively stable, more compact, and improve the quality of their defense. So the biggest question now is: Can Carrick bring in one or two defenders in the next 48 hours? If not, how will he adjust the team structure? Perhaps in some matches, a three-center-back system could be used. Or get Bruno playing in a wider position, as he has done in the past.

Of course, you don't want that, but it could be an option. Carrick may already be thinking about how to strengthen the defense through tactical adjustments if new defenders don't arrive. That's entirely possible. But if I had to sum up the most important issue right now, it's this – can they bring in at least one defender, preferably two. Because this would completely change how you view Manchester United's entire season.

Currently, my only concern is the team's defensive line. Of course, I also include midfield defense and how they will organize the midfield structure going forward. Also, whether Balde can truly adapt here.

Chelsea conceded 5 goals in two matches, but they won both. And they brought in a new goalkeeper, and they certainly look like a very entertaining team.

Neville: Yes, they actually have some similarities with Manchester United. The reason I rank Chelsea ahead of Manchester United this season is because they have no European competition, and no added burden from the Champions League. That's the only reason I place them ahead of Manchester United. However, their attack is truly outstanding. They have so many options.

Especially the three attacking forwards – Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and Pedro – that's truly an exceptional attacking combination. Without doubt, this will excite Chelsea fans; it's exactly what they want to see.

I said on Monday Night Football last Monday that I thought Chelsea should bring in an experienced goalkeeper this week. Dani Martínez is such a candidate. He has a strong personality and strong leadership qualities.

Chelsea has historically been a very young team. If you have an experienced goalkeeper, plus now they have Lacroix in center-back, Henderson in midfield, Welbeck in attack – these players may not play in every match, some might play regularly, some might not. But they're there. Their role is to bring experience to the team.

They can maintain standards in the dressing room, tell young players what the right attitude is and what behavior elite-level players should have. They won't let young players make mistakes easily. So I think, for Chelsea, this transfer window has been very successful. Of course, Chelsea, like Manchester United, has an obvious weakness which is also the three-center-back system. How can they really make three center-backs work as a cohesive unit? I think their three center-backs today should be Lacroix, Fofana, and Colwill, right? I think it should be.

I also watched some match clips before the game. All three have very good talent. But the question is: can they keep clean sheets? Currently, the answer is no. If you keep conceding goals – and of course, I've played for some teams with strong attacking ability but unstable defense – this situation will undermine your objective. Because your forwards can't score two, three, or four goals every week. There will always be weeks when Palmer, Rogers, and João Pedro are not performing at their best, and they might not be able to score for you. At that point, you must rely on your defense. You must keep clean sheets, you must make your defense solid. This can be improved with Caicedo and Lavia providing protection in midfield. So for Chelsea and Maresca, they may need to consider reducing the attacking attributes of the wing-backs, perhaps organizing two more defensive midfielders. This could make the team more solid. This might be how he solves the problem, so the three-center-back system doesn't become too exposed. This is also the biggest question mark for Chelsea and Manchester United right now.

Their attack is engaging, with many attacking players. There will be many exciting matches and many goals at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford in the future. But the question is: will their defense drag them down? And by how much? Can they compensate for defensive weaknesses in certain matches by adjusting other positions? Chelsea will travel to face Arsenal next Sunday. I can't wait.

On Tottenham Hotspur's performance

Neville: It's too early to criticize a team right now. But it's not too early to ask some difficult questions. Like: "What's really going on?" "Why aren't these players gelling as quickly as expected?" Because there are indeed some teams that, even with limited preseason preparation, can quickly form a cohesive unit. They look good from their first match and quickly hit their stride.

So when you see a team consistently losing, performing poorly, appearing disorganized, and lacking coordination between players, we can't simply accept: "It's okay, time will solve the problem." Just like Manchester United's away loss to Hull City last week. You could say: "The season just started." "They just finished the World Cup." "Players returned at different times." But for top clubs, you can't use such explanations. You must solve the problem quickly.

In football, every loss is a crisis. When you stop viewing losses as a crisis, that's when danger begins. This sounds harsh, but for top teams, losses are very hard to accept. In the past, when we lost, it was very painful. Because we knew that one loss could turn into two, and two could turn into three. And after you lose, you give confidence to the teams you'll face in the coming weeks. You embolden your opponents. So I think Tottenham Hotspur must adapt quickly, because they're now giving other teams hope. They were beaten at Brentford, and then lost at home to Newcastle United. They must quickly find solutions. If not, when other teams come to play them, they'll feel they have a chance. They must quickly break out of this negative cycle.


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