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Gary Neville has sent a telling warning for Manchester United ahead of the Red Devils’ upcoming test against Serie A side Roma in the Champions League.
Michael Carrick’s men are winless in their last nine matches across all competitions ahead of hosting Italian club Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
Manchester United’s latest setback came against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, as the Red Devils fell to a 2-0 Premier League defeat to the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking after Man Utd’s encounter with Chelsea, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville felt that the Stamford Bridge result was telling for a key issue facing Michael Carrick.
Gary Neville’s point about a well-organised team is where Michael Carrick must set up Man Utd for success
“Any team that is organised, that’s got a combination or two about them, will cause Manchester United problems,” Gary Neville told Sky Sports.
Manchester United perfectly captured Neville’s assessment with their performance at the weekend. The Red Devils themselves were well-organised in the first half against Chelsea and could have easily been 3-0 up before half-time if they capitalised on their chances.
However, the narrative flipped in the second half and the Blues were much more organised in both their attack and defence. Lisandro Martinez’s sending-off was a catalyst in the 63rd minute and the Red Devils looked like a deer in the headlights, both attacking-wise and defensively on the pitch.
The Red Devils’ faltering momentum at Stamford Bridge is a sign for United legend Neville that teams like Roma and Aston Villa could punish Michael Carrick’s side in the Champions League and the Premier League this week.
“Roma could do that on Tuesday; Aston Villa next weekend are very organised, [they] know how to play,” Neville added.
“After that, they come to Anfield [to face Liverpool]. There are a lot of big games in front for Manchester United in these next few weeks, but it’s really worrying.”
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Carrick is coming up for a big test on Tuesday evening against a fluid attacking style that Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has been deploying for his side. According to Goal in September, Gian Piero Gasperini has been using ‘high-intensity methods’ with Roma to ensure the Serie A side are well organised.
Former Roma and Inter Milan midfielder Luigi Di Biagio highlighted that Gasperini’s side have capitalised on a dynamic partnership between Bryan Cristante and Manu Kone in the double pivot.
“With Cristante, Roma has found a midfielder who supports the build-up,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport last month.
“He and Kone often drop towards the defensive line and allow the wingers to push up. It’s Gasperini’s typical midfield emptying, a beauty worth studying.”
Gasperini has not been able to deploy the same partnership between Bryan Cristante and Manu Kone due to the latter being injured. But Roma have not unravelled in the absence of Kone in the same way as Carrick’s men have with Bruno Fernandes’ loss of form.
Roma are collectively playing as a unit and Marten de Roon is as highly disciplined as Cristante when it comes to defensive screening. If Roma’s midfield drop deep, then United’s midfielders could be pulled out of their positions. It would then allow the wider players to exploit the space on the pitch and allow United to take advantage of the opening pockets of space behind the Roma backline.