Bruno's brilliance, Chelsea thrills and trouble at Tottenham

Welcome everyone to the Gary Neville podcast at the end of a really entertaining afternoon at old Trafford Manchester United have beaten Ipswich by five goals to two for those who are keeping count. And there was a lot to take from it Gary actually fun enough for both sides. Yeah, I like the game from minute one. I just think that Ipswich prize me a little bit with a couple of things. One, maybe sort of the naivety of thinking that a team coming up from the Champions League were positive last week. They would be a little bit more pragmatic coming to old Trafford. The Manchester United would come out of the blocks really quickly. Ipswich would probably sit back in maybe a four five one shape. Maybe and see some might just drop a bit deeper in his defensive shape. And that they wouldn't be as brave on the ball from the back through Sherpen and Diop and Grease. But they really did start the game well in terms of imposition and out of possession. Their line was high. I thought they were really good. But I also thought Manchester United were bright in terms of their player as well. Once they got it going through midfield and they looked to threat. So both teams were causing problems going forward. Ipswich probably shaded the first half in the two or three chances that they had. Leave Davis has a second chance. Doesn't need to go to nil. And see. So as that one where he runs through the middle, which was stunning to me through the middle of short and Burma were really powerful and quite quick. And then see. So I knew he was sharp. But I thought he was sharp over like five six yards and then he'd sort of over a race over 50 yards. He'd get caught. But no, I thought it was a really good first half. And Ipswich gave a really good account of themselves. That goal just before half time is a few minutes before. I was the Nunez slip was a real killer for them. Wasn't it. And it just obviously this man. She knighted going in at half time and sort of gets them level. Just a bit more on in season. I mean, he's no trekk. He's a push. No, absolutely brilliant. I thought that he. The way in which he played the positions. He picked up caused a real problem for Telemans and Manu and Martin as and McGuire. Obviously, Emerson just sort of occupied the two center backs. And then obviously he's just floating in B.I. So they couldn't get out to him. And I'm not saying, man, she knew he believed in big gaps. They weren't. He was operating sometimes in tight spaces. But on the counter attack, he was always available. He was always in good pockets. He just was bright, wriggling around. And yeah, was the star player. I think I said he was the best player on the pitch, probably about 52, 53 minutes. And obviously, he's all brilliant. I mentioned at that time as well. I was picking the ball up in good areas, but NC so was a real threat. You actually said something on commentary about him that obviously last week, he just seemed to lie down in the collapse after 60 minutes. He didn't come off today after 60 minutes, but he did flag. And just before Manu's United, my man's United that period. Before they scored the second and third where they really were, they just stepped it up again. He did give it away a couple of times under pressure and looked a bit more tired. So that's something for Gary O'Neill to monitor. And I think he learned a lot today. Maybe more than last week about how maybe he has to has the Taylor away game because it's quite clear that United just really ramped it up and was sort of squeezing them. And it was a real struggle for it. Which is defenders to stay in the game. And then he went to a back five, but it was already think three, one maybe or four, one at the time. And I think maybe that's something that he'd have to do in a way games. Start off maybe more positively to try and get a footing in the game like they did when they may be switched to the five at moments so that they can actually. Yeah, just stemmed the flow of the tide that was coming in and it was me or Manu's United were brilliant in the second half. But you're right and see so was it was a beautiful performance. If you could split the game in two, you give and see so the man the match for the first half and then Bruno Fernandez for the second, two, number 10s and of course Bruno Fernandez was decorated this week. And as you say, no greater decoration than one given you by your peers and listening, lived up to billing, didn't he? Yeah, I just don't think that is an award that you could ever question. It's bloody hard to get your opponents to vote for you. If you're naming the PFA team of the year and your name is the PFA player of the year or young player of the Elatnico or Iowa was this week, you have really impressed a lot of players in the league. You've worked hard, you've delivered, you've performed, you're an attacking player, you've hit great numbers, you're a defensive player, you've been almost unbeatable. Yeah, if a Bruno Fernandez is a strong finish to the season for Manchester United, but he's, I mean, he's said on the commentaries, the best signing, post-Stralics, Ferguson, by an absolute mile. They're just showing now about this goal, aren't they? This one where Harry Maguire sort of scuffs it across goal and then basically it's given because obviously they're at the ball. Yeah, if it's shot on target, yeah, bizarre enough, it wouldn't have been a goal. Yeah, so back to Bruno Fernandez and they're still going through that rule, but back to Bruno Fernandez, the best signing by a mile post-Stralics Ferguson, he's got the guts, he's got the courage, he's got the belief to play for Manchester United, the numbers that he's delivered, assists and goals, is eagerness and willingness and want to always want to try and impact the game positively to play the sort of killer pass. To score a goal, to do the most difficult thing, and yeah, he's an outstanding player, he really is, and without him, Manchester United would have a real problem, but they've got him. And with the other forwards around, you know, Rashford and Burma, Kunia, Ahmad Seshko, Dogu, Mount, I'll bring him into it. They have got an excellent group of forwards that will score a lot of goals and create a lot of damage, because they've got a lot of directness in there, you wouldn't like to play against some of those players, I wouldn't like to have Ahmad running at me, I wouldn't like to have Rashford running at me, I wouldn't like to have Kunia running at me, I wouldn't like to have Burma running at me, I wouldn't like to have Bruno Fernandez feeding them. There's a lot going on there in Manchester United to attack, and it's a real plus sign, that's the big thing out of today, the five goals. I was surprised last week at home, not that they've conceded two goals, but they didn't score. That was the thing that disappointed me, probably most, in the game in some ways, because they have got a real threat. Listen, they wouldn't be human if after half an hour here, one nil down after what happened the whole last week, they didn't feel a certain sense of, "Oh yeah, this must happen." Oh, there was a comfortable 10 minutes, wasn't there? So that presumably says something about the togetherness and the fiber and something within? Yes, look, I've just mentioned the attack, and I think it's got a lot going for it. The midfield, I think, is yet to develop and prove itself. You've got Santos in there, you've got Taylor Manes, you've got Believer, obviously when he's fit, and you've got Manu. So we don't know which two are going to play regularly, but the job of that two in there, I think, becomes quite simple for this team. Ordinarily, a two that played midfield for Manchester United, you might say, "Well, I want assists from one of them or I want." I want loads of really sort of what would be good passes and switches of play. They actually just need to be really good on the ball, as in sort of quite sound on the ball. Not safe, but sound, so they can feed Bruno, or they can feed the forwards, or they can feed the fullbacks in wide areas. What they most need to do is make sure that they're always protecting that backfall. And that's going to be kind of the key. And obviously Believer, that's why he's been signed because he is the most physical and the most defensive out of that fall. And he needed that fourth midfield player that had that profile. Now, he's really important. Because when you get into the games, and with respect to Hall of Beat and Manu's United, which of course, Manu's United quite a few problems in that first half today, you can see already that Manu's United backfall can be got up. And we knew that because it's the same defenders as last season and the season before. And they can see the 50 last season, so it's not going to change unless they play better, which let's hope they do. But also that midfield two protects them more. And that has to happen. That has to happen, or else they'll concede a lot of goals. They've conceded four in two already. They've conceded a lot of chances against Ipswich in the first half, who could have scored two or three. And this is not going to be a team that's to be fair in the top half of the league more than likely. So that would be the concern. And I said it before the game in the studio, that we've all been saying it. If Michael Carrick could get a defender or two in the next 48 hours, I think it's really important. And that's not me showing up by a load of players, do this, spend your money. But if you're going to, if you're going to wait, there's what Manu's United have done is they've built, they've rebuilt their attack last season. They've rebuilt the midfield this season. It feels like they're going to wait to rebuild the defense for another 12 months. And I don't know if the two, there are one or two defenders available. But if there are, can you somehow try and advance that money into this window and then spend less next season? Because it would really make a massive difference if they could get a center back and a fall back in. Because you saw at the end of the game when Dallot and Shaw go off. You've got your own playing right back. And you've got Mazraway playing left back though. That's not ideal at all. One of them is makeshift full back at best. And he's not a full back. And he's willing. So there's no sort of lack of willingness for him to play there. But he's not a full back. And Mazraway can play left back. But he's not the left back that you want there. So my view is if he can somehow try and get one or two players and I don't know what's available. I mean Lewis Hall was mentioned. He wasn't a couple of years back. I can't see Newcastle ever going to let him go. I'm not even going to annoy Newcastle fans. I apologize for mentioning his name. Because just by mentioning his name, there's a suggestion that I might think that he could come to Manu's United. the United. But you know, the He's now standing left back. Malzliou Skelley was mentioned again, someone who can play left back, but obviously maybe in midfield. So it is going to be a problem. The Sandra Martin has brings control on the ball. He sees some great passes from him today. I think all those stats. But that is going to be the question from Manchester United this season. Is how do this stem, the flow of goals going into the back of their net? Because they've conceded four in the first two matches. And that'll be Michael Carrick's concern. Now that can be done by being more compact. It can be done by maybe changing the structure of the front part of the team, but you won't really want to do that. Because one of the things that's going to keep Michael Carrick in the job other than winning is entertaining these fans. And he's done that today. Those fans that are walking away, I know they're getting absolutely soaked, probably I'll stop raining now. They're walking back across that four court. I've seen five goals, loads of chances. Manchester United play well in the second half. Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat trick. Loads are really sort of good runs and good shots and good crosses. So they're really happy. So you don't want to take away that, but you know, Manchester United, they're going to have to win the goal to Everton in the next game. And they're going to have to win the goal to Manchester City come here in two weeks. - Two weeks. - Yeah. - Yeah. They're going to have to be better defensively. They're going to have to be tighter, they're going to have to be more compact. And yeah, that's the big question. Can Michael Carrick get a defender or two in the next 40 hours if he can't? And how does he structure the team? Probably through Belieber coming in. You know, maybe it's Belieber or Maynu and T-Limence could play as a three in certain matches in Europe and maybe Bruno just plays as one of the wider ones which he's done before. You won't want that, but that might have to happen. And Michael Carrick may have a thought process to how he can solidify the defensive part without bringing another defender in. And that's something that could be possible. But if not, I would say as a primary sort of what would be thinking point now, it would be can they bring at least one defender in maybe two? Because that would change the whole dynamic of how you think about Manchester United season. The only doubt right now for me is that defensive part that I mean, I include the midfield in that as well and how they structure the midfield and where the Belieber settles in. Okay, moving on. Chelsea have conceded five goals in two games and they've won them both. But they've got a new goalkeeper and they do appear to be a lot of fun. I mean, you had a lot of fun watching them on Monday night. Yeah, so they're quite similar to Manchester United. The reason I put Chelsea above Manchester United this season because they're not in Europe and they've got less confusion of the Champions League. That's the only reason I put them above Manchester United. But they're brilliant going forward. I mean, they've got so many options but that front three of Parma Rogers and Jal Pedro are, that is an outstanding front three, it really is. And that's going to excite Chelsea fans. That's what Chelsea fans want. I did say on Monday night football that I thought Chelsea had to sign a keeper this week and I mean, that was the one that he's just a big personality and a big character. And a team that's been young, if you've got a goalkeeper that's got experience, they've now got the choir at centre back, they've now got Henderson in the field and they've now got Wellbeck up front. And those players might not always play probably a couple of them will, but maybe a couple won't. But they're there. They're there to provide that experience and that sort of what will be Guardian, ship of sort of standards and what good looks like in the dressing room, what good attitude looks like and not let the young players get away with things. So I think for Chelsea, they've had a really, really good window. It's obvious that Chelsea's weakness as well as Manchester United is their three centre backs. How do they form a unit? I think today it was Laquire, Fafana and Colwell, wasn't it? I think it was, yeah, I think that, I was watching, I think it was. I was grabbing bits of it before the game. And it's a talented back three, but can it keep clean sheets? Can it keep clean sheets? And the answer is at the moment, no. And if you keep conceding goals, and look, I played in teams here that conceded goals, by the way, that were far better going forward than defensive, but it undermines what you're trying to do 'cause not every week you forward, you're going to score two and three and four every single week. There's going to come a week where Col Parma, Rogers and Jalpedra have a bit of time off. You know, and they don't score a goal for you, and then you're going to have to basically keep clean sheets and make sure that you're solid at the back and that can be helped by Casado and Lavier in front. So for Chelsea and for Yavira Onzo, it might be that he has to play less attacking wingbacks and that he may be asked to put two midfield players in there that are both more defensive. And that could be the way in which he sort of tightens things up to make sure that that back three don't get as exposed. But they're the big questions for Chelsea and Manchester United, exhilarating going forward, loads of attacking players. You know, there's going to be a lot of thrills at Stanford, Bridge and Old Trafford and goals, but will those defenses undermine them and how much will they undermine them? And can they somehow cater for that weakness that they've got in defense by restructuring the team elsewhere in certain matches? An Arsenal goal to say, Chelsea or to Arsenal next Sunday, which we're doing the get a can't wait for that one. So moving across London to Spurs who haven't scored yet. Did you watch them last night? I watched quite a bit of the game. What about Newcastle? What a vissa. Yeah. Look, Spurs, look, it's too early for, it's too early to start piling into teams. But it's not too early to start asking difficult questions and say, what's going on? Why have these players not embedded better than they have naturally? Because some teams do come together without a lot of time in preseason and they do look to be fair. Like they're pretty good from day one and hit the ground running. So when you see teams that sort of are losing matches and they don't look very good and they look disorganized and they look like they're not combining together, we shouldn't just accept it and think, okay, it's going to come together in time. So it was like my last week, Manchester United's defeat away at all. We could, you could say how it's only early in the season, they've all been at the World Cup. They're all coming back at different times. You can't say that when you're at a top club. You've got to nip it in the bud. Every defeat is a crisis. The minute you stop seeing a defeat as a crisis in football at a top club, that sounds like a harsh word. But in football, it did feel like we lost. It was a bloody hard thing to swallow back in the day. You know, we took it hard, it was horrible. Because we knew that that was the potential to go to 2D feats and 3D feats and you're giving encouragement when you get beat to other teams that are playing you in the next few weeks. You're giving encouragement. So for me, I think Tottenham have got to get themselves right pretty quickly because they're giving encouragement to other teams right now. They've been battered at Brentford. They've been Newcastle, they've been done at home by Newcastle and they need to get a grip of it quite quickly. Because teams will fancy their chances going there. And you've got to try and make sure that you get rid of that quickly, that negativity spiral. And you're right, by the way, to pull me up. I mean, Newcastle need a word too. Oh, yeah, I just. I never pronounced the manager's name. Is he Isla? Yeah, Isla. Yeah, Isla, yeah. I mean, he was gutted last week, wasn't he, when he had 96th minute goal. You could see it on his face and naturally, so his team had worked so well and done so well. And we were so. I was pleasantly surprised. That actually went up to St. James's part last week thinking there was going to be two more. Never expected them to do what they did against Liverpool. And then yesterday, I was fantastic. And Vissa, I'm really happy for Vissa. I really loved him when he was with Embermo and, you know, he played with Ivan Tony, didn't he? At Brentford. And they were fantastic. They were amazing to watch those three up front. It really was. They were so direct and just aggressive. And Vissa was a big part of that. I know Embermo and Tony have had sort of what would be more maybe lines written about the more headlines, sorry. Vissa is a fantastic player. And we've seen in this last week just what he can be and what he can do in there. Yeah, so it's great news for Vignou Castle and they signed a couple of players. Things are picking up a little bit for them. From a point of view of sort of what would be confidence and the manager and the players yesterday, will that will have done a lot for them. They'll have come together and be. They'll get a big energy and a big spirit boost out of that because, like you say, they'll have been. I'm sure the players will have been asking questions a few weeks ago. Tonight, they'll have Gimerized, Gordon, Trippier, Eddie Howe, all leaving. Massive parts of the recent sort of Newcastle team and squad and management. And, yeah, I'm happy for Newcastle. Well done to them. Liverpool have scored four goals this season. And good line this, which I read this morning. All four of them have been equalizers. Two, two, twos. What are you thinking? It's bizarre that the noise that Gatpole might leave. I know the background might come in, but Gatpole looks like their best forward. I had to think he's a real danger. Liverpool fans, and I'll speak to Carra about Gatpole and he sort of says, yeah, he scores, he looks dangerous, but he's really bad. I had to think someone like him can maybe not be appreciated at times when he's always involved. And I don't think I never underestimate a player. I think in Burmese a bit like that. There's a lot of scruffy things, isn't there? There's things where he thinks, but he always keeps coming back and he always wants the ball, and he's always there, and he's always near something. And he does contribute with goals and with assists. Maybe at a massive level, but he's hard to replace lads like him. And I always think when you're main opponent, so looking to take him off you, I always think that's a little bit of a worry, and I don't think Liverpool can afford. So the noise around Gatpole is bizarre to me. What's the most bizarre, and I said it last week, is that they haven't signed a fullback, left back and the right back. Unless they're gonna go to three at the back with the three big Santa Backs that they've got, which I mentioned to, again, to Carra last week on Monday night footballer, And I said, is it a row, a rowhold of this, the boy we jacket and bandai, that would be a three good center backs. And those two that are playing currently curkies and frimpong look like the ideal wing backs. And then you might play the three in midfield of Shobba's live, McAllister and Graven Birch. And then you've got the two up front of Gatt Poe and Eckertike, you've got verse and Eckertike, he's at, sorry, up front or Eckertike and he's at when he gets back. So you've got that sort of thinking, nothing, it looks like a squad that could play a back three. If they're going to play a back four and curkies and frimpong are going to play full backs, and they're not going to sign a holding midfield player, Liverpool are going to concede a lot of goals. I mean, the two yesterday, the right backs nowhere to be seen on the first one, on the second one, he lets the runner go from the throwing when he should just mark him and go with him all the way, he's not got a natural instinct to know how to defend, now we used to criticize at Trent Alexander Arnold, didn't we, for his defensive work, just to put this into context, Trent Alexander Arnold, and I don't know how to describe it, it's a lot better defender than frimpong, a lot better, and he used to get criticism, and he used to contribute 15-20 assists to season, I don't think frimpong will. So I think he's got a place frimpong in his squad, in a team, and he may play further forward, and he might play a sort of lopsided back four or something like that, where you've got maybe a left back that's maybe more of a center back, and you sort of push you right back on a little bit, I can see that type of thing, curkies doesn't look like he's settled, and I've always thought that he's looked like, I think at one point last season, I don't want to be disrespectful, but he looks like he's an academy player playing at left back for Liverpool, and he's not, because he's a very good player, but they can't play with those two at full back in expect, not to concede goals, so I'm not sure what's going on there in respect of the recruitment, and it's not for me to look after Liverpool's recruitment department, you know, Manchester United do have experience defenders, you know, whether you think they're good enough not to know the matter, but they do have expectations, they have got numbers, so just like an upgrading quality, but Liverpool don't think I have the numbers, obviously kind of broadly may come back at certain points, but he's been injury prone for quite a bit now, so I think they're leaving and on Euryola well short, and I know Enderiola looks like a gentleman, doesn't it, and you can see him on the interviews, but if I was him, I would be going in there, and I'd be demanding something in the next 48 hours, because it will cost him, Liverpool will concede a lot of goals if those two play at full back in a normal traditional back for, with that midfield, that obviously at times they do vacate places, you know, they run forward, I think Chopper's Lion Graham and Birch are very good going forward, and they run forward with the ball well, but they can come there. I'm excited by Barclay, I'm excited by Barclay, but I am, I am excited by him, I think he's an exciting player, Liverpool should be signing that type of player, you think of Barclay like a TK, Verts, E-Zach, Gakpo, Angamoa, that's real excitement up top, Liverpool had a defensive midfield player, a really good one, and two good fullbacks, because I like the boys jacket, he looks like a proper player, I think Liverpool would have a really good chance, but they've been undermined by a lack of recruitment in those fullback areas and I think in central midfield, they need to do something, I don't know, they've got something up their sleeve, but that would be my sort of big take on Liverpool, because they will definitely can see goals, and we can see it in the first two matches. Should we finish just by team up Monday night football, which is a really good one, Ville or Arsenal? Yes, I'm heading over there tomorrow, are you? No, I'm not. No, you should be good, I mean, look, Ville or I've added Gretzka, they've brought in Nicholas Jackson, he tried to add to someone else earlier on today, but I think it fell through, I'm not sure who it was, but yeah, I think Ville needed reinforcements, whether they'll be ready for tomorrow, I'm not sure, are you, got an understanding whether they'll be ready? But look, I think Ville beat Arsenal, didn't there was it, not last season season before maybe? They've been a thorn in the first couple of times, really. Yeah, and obviously I think they beat him, obviously I think in one of the seasons towards the Emirates. So look, this is a different Arsenal villain right now, Arsenal looking really strong, but it's a good game, I'm looking forward to it, I love Ville Park, and it'll be interesting to see how Arsenal are again, obviously they look head and shoulders, didn't in that first week in the head of any body and everybody, but they've got to maintain that, and they've got to show it again and be consistent, but I'm sure they will. Great stuff, Gary. Thank you very much. Thank you.