Gary Neville Questions Louis Van Gaal's 'Predictable' Manchester United Tactics

Gary Neville raised some serious questions of Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal's tactics during a broadcast of Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.

The Dutchman's favoured 3-5-2 formation was the target of Neville's critique, which lamented the pace and variety of United's passing and approach play under Van Gaal, per Daily Mail reporter Thomas Jacobs:

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I'm not a fan of 3-5-2 because the centre-backs are the free men and they become the safe option.

They play out from the back but the tempo is too slow. Far too often they are keeping possession and passing it backwards. 

They've become quite predictable in the past few weeks. Manchester United looked far more dangerous on Saturday when they changed the system.

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The change in system Neville referred to came during United's recent 2-0 away win over relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League. Van Gaal switched his charges to a more conventional back four to freshen things up after a stodgy start to the match.

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United fans had been clamouring for a shift to the classic 4-4-2 formation shortly before the change. However, Neville's fellow pundit Jamie Carragher remained unconvinced supporter unrest will convince Van Gaal to abandon the three at the back structure on a more regular basis, per Sky Sports.

Carragher may have a point based on Van Gaal's post-match comments. He indicated he's not able to take the fans' views into account, per ESPN FC:

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I cannot observe the fans because how many fans do Manchester United have? All over the world we've got 600 million. You cannot take into account 600 million opinions.

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That's unlikely to find much favour with supporters who've never really warmed to the formation and tactical approach Van Gaal imported to Old Trafford from the Dutch national team.

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

He used the 3-5-2 to guide the Netherlands to the semi-final stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. But it's fair to say Van Gaal isn't tied to the system. He's played 4-3-3 at various points during his long and illustrious career, even experimenting with versions of it since taking over at United.

It's also worth noting that Van Gaal has used the 4-4-2 successfully in the past. He won a Dutch league title with AZ Alkmaar playing the more traditional formation in the 2008-09 season.

It seems like Neville isn't the only one who believes Van Gaal should turn the clock back. It's a view shared by Oliver Kay of The Times:

This also isn't the first time Neville has been critical of United's organisation and approach this season. Back in December, he compared United to a "pub team" after they scraped a win over Southampton and prepared to face archrival Liverpool. Van Gaal was quick to offer a terse response to the decorated former club talisman.

Van Gaal will no doubt have a similar refrain ready when he's inevitably quizzed about Neville's latest assessment of his team. But it's clear the Dutchman's more patient and deliberate approach isn't winning over a fanbase that became accustomed to quick-breaking, attacking football during the club's glory years.

Injuries at the back haven't always helped Van Gaal's plans since he took over last summer. But there's no escaping the fact United have looked decidedly static in recent matches.

Despite boasting some of the best attacking talent in England's top flight, Van Gaal's squad isn't finding goals easy to come by. Even with Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao, Juan Mata and Angel Di Maria to call on, United have netted just three goals in the last four matches.

That's certainly not the kind of return premier forwards instructed by a supposedly attack-minded coach are supposed to produce. Perhaps Van Gaal may take a cue from Neville, whether he admits to it or not, and make a permanent change in how United set up.

He's certainly shown a willingness to adapt in the past.