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28th September 2021
07:26am BST
"I think you have to be a unit in and out of possession, and when you only deliver in moments, those moments won't go for you in certain games. "You need patterns of play, you need a way of playing, and at this moment in time I still see a group of individuals playing in moments, with some patterns and combinations at times, but still a team where some are pretty new together - Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho - but they've got to come together as a team and start to define a style of play. "Then you start to get results when you don't play well."The 46-year-old then went on to discuss the consistency of his former side, labelling them the 'odd bunch' because of their ability to lose a number of games in a row before going on a lengthy unbeaten run themselves. "The way they are at the moment, they'll always have days like Saturday against Villa," said Neville. "They'll have patches of four or five games where they only win two, but then they'll go and win 15 on the bounce and be unbeaten away from home for a while. "That's the type of team they are. I have called them the odd bunch, because I still look at them and think of them as a team who win games in moments." [caption id="attachment_290922" align="alignnone" width="2048"]
Bruno Fernandes missed only his second penalty in normal time for Man Utd against Aston Villa at the weekend. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)[/caption]
Neville - who made 400 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils - also compared United with their title rivals, insisting that by signing the calibre of players that they have done over the summer, trophies need to follow.
"I look at Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, they are teams - they put team performances in," he said. "That's not to say United never do, but Ole now has to get United into a team. "I said two weeks ago that the Ronaldo signing was make or break. That's not me putting pressure on the players or manager, it's a matter of fact. "If you sign Edinson Cavani, Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho, you've got to then win a trophy at some point in the next 12 to 18 months. This season or next, when Ronaldo is here, that's why it's a make-or-break signing. They have to win a trophy."During a Twitter Q&A in May, the Sky Sports pundit was asked where he thought United could finish this season with the right signings. Neville replied to the question, stating: "Varane, Kane and Sancho = title". https://twitter.com/gnev2/status/1396890959489769477?lang=en Evidently, United signed two of the players that the Englishman suggested would be influential in the Red Devils' hopes of winning their first league title since 2012/2012, and whilst they didn't sign Harry Kane - nor even approach Spurs to do so - it is interesting to see Neville's change in opinion so early into the current campaign. It would be unfair to completely rule the Red Devils out of the title race after just six games, but if they are to properly compete in what looks to be one of the most competitive battles in recent years, then they might just need to follow Neville's advice. Related links:
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