On August 30, local time, on the Sky Sports podcast, Neville opined that Manchester United's biggest problem remains defensive stability, and Carrick needs to strengthen the defence before the transfer deadline, or he should address the issue through tactical adjustments, such as changing formations or improving midfield protection. Regarding Chelsea, Neville acknowledged their attacking potential and the effectiveness of their signings, but pointed out the hidden defensive risks of a three-at-the-back system, emphasising that the team must improve stability and avoid over-reliance on attacking players. As for Tottenham Hotspur, he believes the team cannot use "needing time to gel" to mask problems, as continued losses will affect confidence, and solutions must be found quickly, otherwise they will fall into a negative cycle.

Speaking about Manchester United's upcoming match against Manchester City,

Neville said: Manchester United must be more stable defensively, must be more compact and must improve defensive quality. So the biggest question now is: can Carrick bring in one or two defensive players in the next 48 hours? If not, how will he adjust the team's structure? Perhaps in some matches, a three-at-the-back system could be used. Or have Bruno playing in a wider position, as he has done in the past.

Obviously you wouldn't like that, but it could become an option. Carrick may already be thinking: if new defensive players aren't brought in, how can the defence be strengthened through tactical adjustments? That's entirely possible. But if I were to sum up the most important question right now, it would be – can they bring in at least one defender, preferably two? Because that would completely change the way you view Manchester United's entire season.

Currently, my only real concern is the team's defensive aspect. Of course, that also includes midfield defence and how they'll organise the midfield structure going forward. Plus, whether Barella can really adapt here.

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

Neville: Yes, they really do have some similarities with Manchester United. The reason I rank Chelsea ahead of Manchester United this season is because they don't have to compete in European competitions, and there's no extra burden from the Champions League. That's the only reason I rank them ahead of Manchester United. However, their attack is really excellent. They have many options.

Especially the three up front – Palmer, Mudryk and João Félix – that's really an excellent attacking combination. Without question, that will excite Chelsea fans, it's exactly what they want to see.

I said on Monday Night Football that I think Chelsea should sign an experienced goalkeeper this week. Dimitrović is one of those candidates. He has strong personality and strong leadership.

Chelsea have always been a very young team. If you have an experienced goalkeeper, and now they have Lacroix in defence, Henderson in midfield and Welbeck in attack, these players may not start every game, some of them may play regularly, and some may not. But they're there. Their role is to bring experience to the team.

They can maintain standards in the dressing room, letting the young players know what the right attitude is and what top-level player behaviour should be. They won't let the young players make mistakes easily. So I think for Chelsea, this transfer window has been very successful. Of course, Chelsea, like Manchester United, their obvious weakness is the three-at-the-back system. How do they really make the three centre-backs work as a unit? I think their three centre-backs should be Lacroix, Fofana and Colwill, right? I think that's how it should be.

I also watched some match clips before the game. All three have excellent ability. But the question is: can they keep a clean sheet? Currently, the answer is no. If you continue conceding goals – and of course, I also played in some teams with strong attacking ability but unstable defence – that situation will undermine the objectives you want to achieve. Because your attackers can't score two, three or four goals every week. There will always be a week when Palmer, Mudryk and João Félix are in poor form, and perhaps can't score for you. At that point, you must rely on your defence. You must keep a clean sheet, and you must make the defence solid. This can be improved by Caicedo and Lavia providing protection in midfield. So for Chelsea and Maresca, it may be necessary to consider reducing the attacking attributes of the full-backs, perhaps by organising two more defensive midfielders. That could make the team more stable. That could be how he solves the problem, so the three-at-the-back system isn't too exposed. This is also the biggest question for Chelsea and Manchester United at the moment.

They are exciting in attack, with a large number of attacking players. There will be many exciting matches at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford in the future, and many goals. But the question is: will their defence drag them down? And by how much? Can they compensate for defensive weaknesses in certain matches by adjusting other positions? Chelsea will visit Arsenal next Sunday. I can't wait.

Speaking about Tottenham Hotspur's performance,

Neville: It's too early to criticise a team right now. But it's not too early to ask some difficult questions. For example: "What exactly went wrong?" "Why didn't these players integrate as quickly as expected?" Because there are indeed some teams that, even with limited pre-season preparation time, manage to form a unit quickly. They look good from the first match and get into rhythm quickly.

So when you see a team consistently losing, performing poorly, disorganised and lacking coordination between players, we can't simply accept: "That's fine, time will solve the problem." Just like Manchester United's away defeat to Hull City last week. You could say: "The season has just started." "They've just finished the World Cup." "Players returned at different times." But for top clubs, you can't explain it like that. You must solve the problem as quickly as possible.

In football, every defeat is a crisis. When you no longer see a loss as a crisis, that's the beginning of danger. That sounds harsh, but at top teams, losing is really hard to accept. In the past, when we lost, it was very painful. Because we knew one loss could become two, and two could become three. And after losing, you give confidence to the teams you face in the following weeks. You're encouraging your opponents. So I think Tottenham Hotspur must adjust quickly, because they are now giving opportunities to other teams. They were defeated at Brentford and then lost at home to Newcastle United. They must find a solution quickly. Otherwise, when other teams play there, they'll feel they have a chance. They must get out of this negative cycle as quickly as possible.


Traduzido por IA.

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