Ruben Amorim has fired back at Gary Neville’s critique of the Manchester derby being a “love-in” at Old Trafford, accusing the ex-Manchester United defender of being “critical about everything”. During the Sky Sports coverage of the match, Neville lamented the lack of “blood” and “thunder” in the derby, describing it as emblematic of the “robotic” nature of modern football. With few opportunities created by either side, the goalless draw seemed an apt conclusion.
“The love-in that I’m watching tells you that both teams feel happy with a 0-0. I think the best City teams and the best United teams would be very disappointed at the end of that game with the way they approached it,” Neville commented.
“I mean, it looks like it’s Sunday afternoon – they’re gonna go for a roast dinner now. They’re micromanaged within an inch of their lives – so robotic, that game – and quite symptomatic, actually, of a lot of games that we’re watching nowadays.
“It’s not good enough. I feel disappointed. It’s a Manchester derby and it should have more blood, thunder, and risk, and courage involved in playing the game and trying to win the game than that.”
Amorim didn’t hold back in his response to the pundit and former United star, stating: “I understand everything. I understand that Gary Neville is critical about everything, so I understand that part.”
The United head coach elaborated on the situation by highlighting the challenging season both teams are experiencing, asserting that this context should explain why the match didn’t live up to previous encounters in this fixture.
“I understand that we are in the moment that we are doing the worst season in history,” Amorim admitted.
“Manchester City won everything in the past, this season is struggling. We are not in the best moments to provide the best spectacle to every fan. When we are not competing for the big things, of course it’s different.
“But you have to consider the context of the game and I understand the critical view of the players who played in this game differently, because they were always battling for titles, so it’s a different context.”
This article originally appeared on MEN
Content Source: www.express.co.uk