Original Summary

Getty Images / Gary Neville started for Sky Sports as a pundit and co-commentator in 2011 "I've watched Manchester United since the age of five and that's the worst 15 minutes I've ever seen. Absolutely pathetic." Gary Neville did not hold back in his criticism of the Manchester United's performance during Sky Sports' coverage of Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham. The players had just laboured through the opening period of the second half, culminating in a Lisandro Martinez own goal gifting the home side the lead. "I've never seen such a lack of effort," Neville added. "What must Michael Carrick be thinking?" Neville played 602 games for United over a 19-year career, winning everything the club game had to offer. So his criticism comes from a qualified position. This season's out-of-possession stats would appear to back it up too, with the Red Devils ranking 16th for distance covered, and 17th for total number of sprints. But does that tell the whole story? How did United play under Carrick when they were winning games towards the end of last season? And, as Neville makes the headlines, what does this say about his influence in the media around Manchester United? Cunha's late strike denies Fulham first league win of the season Can the stats establish whether effort claim has merit? United's dismal running and sprinting stats made for stark reading in the wake of Neville's criticism. After all, the former right-back had directly questioned a lack of effort, and referred to the players as "mannequins". He said United - and Fulham - were walking too much during the game. In the Premier League this season only four teams have covered less distance than the Red Devils, and just three teams have produced fewer sprints. It comes alongside United's joint-worst start to a Premier League season, with four points from five games. So is this down to the running and the effort? Let's take a look at the second half of last season, after Carrick had been appointed as manager. Between 17 January and the end of the season, United picked up more points than any other team - 39 points from 17 games. Yet only four teams ran less than United, and only two clubs had fewer sprints. There is no material difference in the running stats, but United were returning 2.29 points per game compared to the 0.8 this season. Something is clearly different, but it does not appear to be linked to this particular stat because barely anything has changed - apart from the results. Maybe this United squad simply does not have runners. Then there is the comparison to rival teams. Manchester City have won all five Premier League matches, but have covered less distance than United. Enzo Maresca's squad have also recorded the lowest number of sprints in the division. Brighton, one of the most exciting teams in the league this season and the top goalscorers, are one place above United for sprints. Maybe United's problem is tactical rather than a simple case of not running enough? The amplification of Manchester United criticism Neville setting the media agenda when it comes to United is not a new thing. The former England international has called out the team's shortcomings on many occasions. Look back to December 2021, and a poor first-half performance against a struggling Newcastle side which saw Ralf Rangnick's side trail 1-0 at the break. "They're a bunch of whinge-bags," Neville said at half-time on Sky Sports. "I'll not go into names but they're whinging at each other, arms up in the air complaining about everything. "There's no pressing, no urgency, the basics of the game." Edinson Cavani rescued a point at St James Park, but Neville's comments had already made the headlines. You only need to look at how the post-match coverage went after the Fulham draw. Neville's remarks were put to Carrick at full-time. The United manager said fitness levels of his players were not an issue. But the die was cast. "Neville: That was the worst ever", read the back page of Monday's Daily Telegraph. "15 minutes of shame", was the lead for the sports section of the Daily Star. "United boss keeps calm after Neville Ful blast," said the Daily Express. It was picked up across online media, and discussed at length on radio talk shows - including across the BBC, as evidenced by this piece. Carrick impressed Man Utd 'kept belief' to earn draw at Fulham When Neville criticises his former club, it carries weight. In January, with Ruben Amorim under pressure for poor results, the Portuguese said that "if people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club". Amorim was dismissed the following day. There always seems to be a strong influence in the media related to the dominant team of a previous era. For example throughout the 1990s and 2000s, former Liverpool stars such as Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson and Phil Thompson dominated a lot of the conversation. It stands to reason that now members of the all-conquering United squad will have a leading role in the media. But for Neville, it is bigger than anyone apart from Gary Lineker and his Goalhanger production company. Neville media machine a game changer for United coverage? "When does Sky wonder if they are paying a lot of money in wages to train their next competitor?" It is a question posed by Richard Gillis, who hosts the Unofficial Partner sports business podcast. While Neville started out in the media as a pundit with Sky Sports, the 51-year-old is now one of the biggest players in a rapidly changing industry. After co-founding the sports entertainment production company Buzz16 in 2016, Neville launched YouTube platform 'The Overlap' in 2021. 'The Overlap' produces 'Stick to Football' - one of the UK's most popular football content channels with 2.2 billion views across all platforms in 2025. Earlier this year it entered into a strategic partnership with radio giants Global, with the aim to create a multi-format sports media network. Neville this summer exit

中文概览

中文标题： 内维尔批评曼联“缺乏努力”是否正确？

加里·内维尔在天空体育解说曼联对富勒姆1-1时，批评曼联下半场开局表现“毫无努力”，称其为最差15分钟。文章分析曼联本赛季跑动和冲刺数据偏低，但上赛季卡里克执教末段跑动数据相近却得分更高，并与曼城、布莱顿等队比较，探讨问题是否更多在于战术而非跑动。

  • 情报分类：综合情报
  • 分类依据：体育评论与足球新闻，不属于给定专业类别
  • 信息来源：英语新闻 / BBC News Top Stories
  • 发布时间：2026/9/21 23:39:36