Manchester United are facing growing scrutiny after suffering another defeat against 10-man opposition, with head coach Michael Carrick under increasing pressure to turn around a disappointing start to the season. United walloped Manchester City in their 1-0 defeat at home, which was the third consecutive defeat for them to come out of a tight 10-man battle in under 10 months.
Much of the initial response has been directed at Erling Haaland’s winning effort and the formal apology from Pro Ref over what was termed an “error of judgement”, but there is a lot more to the worries at Old Trafford than that. Carrick, who has defended United’s four-point return from three matches in the last week since their defeat at Everton last weekend, was also a key influence in the team’s winning campaign last season. The midfielder, however, is now down with the fact that they were not up to the club’s standard, as he scored four points in four games. “There’s no need to stop or restart,” Carrick said.
“It’s time to change the way we think and get winning back.” Awarded just one win over new neighbours Ipswich, Carrick has questions to answer in many areas of his management. The loss to their rivals is likely to have a significant impact on the recruitment decision, team selections, tactical approach and substitutions. It’s a timing issue which leaves little breathing room.
The Carabao Cup clash against Brighton comes before the Premier League clash with Fulham on September 16, with United getting back to action after their defeat against Barcelona this weekend. The fixtures will give Carrick a first chance to calm the nerves and get the squad back on track. But if they have another bad outcome, it may only add to the strain on the manager and the club’s sporting plans.
