The 33-year-old made his first senior start since March 2007 at the
weekend when United defeated Portsmouth on penalties to claim victory
in the Community Shield.
The score may have been 0-0 after 90
minutes but in truth the Red Devils dominated the FA Cup-holders as
Carlos Tevez led a forward-line that ran rings around the Pompey
defence.
The European champions' performance at Wembley
highlighted the fluid style of play Sir Alex Ferguson strove for last
season, which involved four forwards constantly shifting position and
attacking the opposition goal from every angle.
Such a system is
quite a departure from the more rigid yet brutally effective 4-4-2 that
characterised United's glory days of the 1990s, which saw Ryan Giggs
and David Beckham patrol the flanks while the likes of Andy Cole and
Dwight Yorke terrorised goalkeepers across the country.
This new
approach is essentially foreign to Neville, who made his debut with the
club in 1992, but he is nonetheless excited by the direction United's
football is heading.
"The way our current players inter-change is definitely different to the United teams I've played for in the past," he said in The Guardian.
"The
front of three or four seem able to play in every position across the
front-line and it's difficult for opponents and defenders of the other
teams to know who they're going to be playing against from minute to
minute, let alone match to match.
"In that sense this is probably the most inventive side I've played in."
However,
that is not to say the 10-time Premier League-winners have abandoned
defensive discipline to focus purely on playing sexy footy.
For
a feature of United's strikers - most notably Tevez and Rooney - is
their work ethic, and Neville readily acknowledged their efforts when
forced onto the back foot.
"It is not just the way they attack
that makes them so special," added the skipper. "Carlos, Nani, Giggsy
and Wayne Rooney for that matter
are also fantastic defenders in their own right. They tackle well and
are all willing to win the ball back."
yeah in a way i kinda agree i like the way how the 4 "forwards" keep running all over the place without leaving an area empty.. it makes the opponent's defence a bit confused if they are not well organised and focussed.. but giggs and scholes shld remain as subs lah.. past their prime to be first 11..
The experience Scholes and Giggs possess can help to calm some nerves when tensions are high. But I agree they passed their prime.
Originally posted by haoguanghg:The experience Scholes and Giggs possess can help to calm some nerves when tensions are high. But I agree they passed their prime.
I agree on the first point.. sometimes U can see scholes controlling the tempo, and that's important.. As scholes said, he will retire in 2yrs max, and I find that a smart move.. Other than Keano, he is my favourite player.