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Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has slammed Manchester United players after their 3-0 loss in the Premier League to Manchester City on Sunday, September 14. He believes that the players lacked the desire to do well on the pitch and were running aimlessly around.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol said that Manchester United players were not encouraging each other and made it too easy for Manchester City on the pitch. He added that the foreseeable future does not look good for the Red Devils and said:
“The second half, they were just in shambles. No shape, no desire. This is the Manchester derby. There was just a lack of heart to be quite frank. People were running around, but there was no togetherness. They never got amongst each other and encouraged each other to chase and close people down and win challenges. It was way too easy for Manchester City. I don’t know how things change [for Manchester United in the coming weeks].”
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim accepted that the performance was not good enough, adding that Manchester City did better in key moments of the game. He hinted that the club could sack him soon and said (via Sky Sports):
"The performance was not good. In the important moments, they were better than us. I'm trying to be rational. I see the record. I understand the frustration and I understand the decisions that come with that. I take the critics. That's it."
Erling Haaland scored a brace after Phil Foden gave Manchester City the lead in the derby on Sunday. They moved to eighth in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Liverpool, while Manchester United crashed to 14th.
Ruben Amorim has no plans to change tactics at Manchester United
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has insisted that he would not change his tactics despite the loss. He believes that they can perform well in his system, but has admitted that the results have not been up to mark so far. He said (via Sky Sports):
"When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man. And we talk about that every game that we lose. I don't believe in that in the system or whatever. So I play my way and I'm going to play my way until I want to change it."
"I understand how football is and the results dictate the narrative. I see it that way. I know that is hard for people. The fans do not want to hear these things. I don't lie to myself. I see the record and I accept any decision."
Ruben Amorim has eight wins in 31 Premier League matches since taking over from Erik ten Hag in November 2024.
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Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.
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If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.
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