Thursday marks five months since Manchester United confirmed Michael Carrick would remain as head coach. The anniversary will carry little significance after the 4-1 defeat by Como, the worst night of his tenure.
Carrick said he was “angry” after the European humiliation, while captain Bruno Fernandes openly criticised the team’s tactical approach. United have now gone seven matches without a win in all competitions and made the worst start to a Premier League season in their history.
That collapse is a stark contrast to the outstanding finish to last season which persuaded the club to extend Carrick’s contract until 2028.
United spent £163m during the summer transfer window – less than promoted clubs Hull City and Ipswich Town, as well as seven other Premier League teams. Midfield was the priority, but the squad was not strengthened at left-back or centre-forward.
The reasons behind that spending level reach back to the Glazer takeover, but Carrick was unable to make the substantial improvements required for a team moving from 40 matches last season to Champions League football, while also attempting to improve on a third-place Premier League finish.
Fitness and intensity concerns
The World Cup created a physically demanding summer for many elite players. At United, those concerns were heightened when Youri Tielemans indicated the squad had completed less pre-season running than expected.
Intensity has since become one of the team’s clearest weaknesses. United have been out-run in six of their seven Premier League matches. The only exception came when Manchester City played for more than an hour with 10 men.
Their defensive work without the ball was again exposed against Como. Carrick summed up the problem by saying: “If you don’t run back, you ain’t going to win.”
Fernandes has also suffered a major decline. Although he appears unhappy with Carrick’s pressing instructions, the midfielder has contributed to only one goal in his past nine games for United.
All four of his Premier League goal involvements came against Ipswich Town – three goals and one assist. After setting an assists record last season, his chance-creation figures have been cut in half this term.
United have produced more shots than any other side in the league, but they are joint-worst for expected goals per shot. Since the Ipswich game, Fernandes has attempted 12 shots and managed only two on target.
The team were the Premier League’s leading scorers across the final 17 matches of last season, when Carrick was in charge and getting the best from his Portuguese playmaker. But Benjamin Sesko’s continued injury absence, combined with the lack of another recognised striker, has left United without a focal point. Fernandes operated as a false nine against Como, without success.
Defensive problems remain
United have not kept a clean sheet this season, leaving them with little protection when their attack fails to score.
Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui struggled in Italy, while Matthijs de Ligt understandably looked short of sharpness on his first appearance in 11 months. Injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw, illness for Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro’s suspension have further limited Carrick’s options.
The uncertainty could relate to personnel, the team’s structure without possession, or their fitness and intensity when attempting to close opponents down. Several midfield combinations have been tested, but Carrick is still searching for the right partnership in front of the defence. Carlos Baleba, who is returning to fitness, is likely to form part of that solution.
Up to four of the nine players unavailable on Wednesday could return for Sunday’s match against Bournemouth. Yoro, Martinez and Heaven would strengthen the defence, while Marcus Rashford could provide more threat in attack.
Fernandes believes the immediate challenge is psychological as well as physical. Reflecting on Como scoring after two minutes, he said: “Conceding the goal very early makes us feeling, going into the game, already in a mood of a defeat.
“It’s very difficult to get out of that at the moment, without being ourselves and trying to push and trying to be brave, trying to have the ball, trying to make something happen.
“If we’re not able to do that it’s going to be very difficult to get out of this situation.”
At Old Trafford, United must show greater courage with and without the ball if they are to change the mood around Carrick and begin repairing their season. Reproducing the extraordinary run which transformed last season will now require a rapid turnaround.
