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Nev: Blame the players
Gary Neville believes it is time to point the finger at Manchester United’s underperforming players for the club’s stop-start season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last year with the Red Devils languishing seventh in the Premier League table.
They have shown signs of improvement at times under interim boss Ralf Rangnick and are currently just a point adrift of fourth-placed West Ham with a game in hand.
And Neville does not believe Rangnick should take all the blame for the team’s recent run of form, which has included an FA Cup exit at the hands of Middlesbrough and lacklustre 1-1 draws against Burnley and Southampton.
The ex-United and England star said: “It now gets to a point where you don’t feel it’s down to the manager anymore.
“Ole was getting a lot of criticism at the start of the season and loses his job and it’s now being suggested that Rangnick isn’t good enough because he’s a sporting director and not a coach.
“Last season I was really complimentary of the spirit and togetherness of the team.
“It wasn’t a successful season having lost the Europa League final on penalties but you felt the players were together. They were tight.
“They were a group of people I started to like. I’m now going away from that again because I look at them on the pitch and there’s definitely a number of them who are lacking in confidence.
“There’s also a few of them who are not putting a shift in. The hard yards. That I can’t forgive because as a United fan all you can ask is that they give their all on the pitch.
“It looks lethargic and they don’t look like they have the quality to chase games. Something has got to change there very quickly.”
United host Brighton tomorrow before a Sunday showdown with bitter rivals Leeds at Elland Road.
Toon face anxious wait
Kieran Trippier faces a spell on the sidelines after limping out of the 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
The England star, 31, bagged the only goal of the game as he netted his second successive free-kick having also scored in the 3-1 home win over Everton.
But Toon must now wait for X-ray results to discover the full extent of the Trippier’s foot injury.
Time to be realistic
Antonio Conte believes Tottenham’s current form means they can forget about qualifying for the Champions League.
Although Spurs still have three games in hand on fourth-placed West Ham, Conte has urged everyone connected with the club to lower expectations.
The Italian’s side have now lost three successive games in the Premier League — and he believes yesterday’s 2-0 home defeat to Wolves again highlighted the need to rebuild.
Conte, 52, said: “When you lose two games in a row at home and a previous game against Chelsea, a team that wants to fight for the Champions League is impossible
“We know we have to fight to build something important with the situation but it’s important to know the situation.
“Maybe our fans shouldn’t be disappointed with the defeat — instead they should try and push us and stay behind us.
“The players need to find the right atmosphere and feel no pressure about a target that in this moment you can’t reach. I’ve been saying this since my arrival.
“We need to be realistic and together. The fans need to understand to have patience, to wait to rebuild again to a situation they were used to in the past.
“We are working hard with the players and there is great commitment but it’s not enough if we want to be competitive. We have to wait.”
