Manchester United were rather distracted by their own ineptitude on Wednesday night so they probably did not have time to study the score from San Siro. AC Milan 0-2 Benfica was further evidence of Ruben Amorim’s gift for underachievement, even if it was not his costliest defeat in the Europa League; that came in Bilbao 16 months ago.
But Amorim created the conditions for Michael Carrick to become United manager. In one respect, Carrick’s midweek misadventure was not even United’s worst night in the Carabao Cup in the last 13 months: going out at Grimsby last year was still worse than losing to a hugely impressive Brighton side, even if it was the first time in half a century that United were beaten at Old Trafford after leading 2-0.
Yet it was still Carrick’s most awkward and worrying outing in charge of United. Like much of a season that has already gone very wrong, it suggested his initial, and huge, advantage of simply not being Amorim is wearing off. Carrick can use a back four, pick players (usually, though with a couple of notable exceptions this season) in their best positions and refuse to criticise his charges in public. For four months, that helped him surge from outsider to get the manager’s job to automatic choice. Of late, however, it has not been enough.
United have played six games this season. They have been dreadful in three of them, barring the first 10 minutes against Brighton. The boos at the final whistle on Wednesday reflected as much. The trend in Carrick’s reign had been that he had got a reaction to every defeat: but after losing the Manchester derby, United lost again. Now Sunday’s trip to Fulham assumes huge proportions, and not merely because United could kick off as low as 17th in the table.
This year had always promised to be tougher for Carrick, with the added workload that Champions League football brings. The Manchester City game apart, the fixture list seemed to have offered United a relatively kind start to the season. Now it looks an obstacle course after the international break: Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Leeds, Como, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Roma and Aston Villa in a month. Not all have started the season well but given the fragility of this United, there are no guarantees. As Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can testify, October and November can be sacking season at Old Trafford.
Such talk may be premature and unfair where Carrick is concerned. “Of course we can turn it around,” he said. He transformed last season, after all. Now, however, there is so much to turn around.
A fundamental failing is that United don’t look fit enough; or maybe they are getting overrun simply because too many of their players are slow.
Defensively, they have been disastrous. Their lone clean sheet came against the minnows of Sabah, and that required some fortune. They have conceded 10 goals in five games against Premier League opposition; Brighton’s three could have been far more.
Some of that could be attributed to Carrick fielding his second-string centre-back partnership; arguably not even that if Matthijs de Ligt, out since November, is factored in. But Ayden Heaven has had an awful start to the season and, watching Leny Yoro on Wednesday, it was staggering to think that Real Madrid were competing with United for his signature and that Liverpool had wanted him.
The 34m gap between Heaven and Yoro in the build-up to Pascal Gross’ goal for Brighton was a sign that some of the issues are systemic, but it does invite the question of what two former centre-backs on Carrick’s coaching staff, Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans, are doing with the defence. Nor, indeed, does it reflect well on a manager who was a high-class midfielder that United were so bad in the centre of the pitch.
Andrey Santos’ signing was bemusing in July – why pay £48m for a Chelsea reserve? – and looks weirder now. The Brazilian has begun two games for United and been lamentable in both, seeming to lack presence or the ability to protect the defence. When Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo were outmanoeuvred by Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez, the mitigation was that the City pair cost a combined £241m. On Wednesday, the midfield was dominated by Gross, a 35-year-old who cost €2m. It is sufficiently early that one of United’s buys, Carlos Baleba, has not even been fit to debut but the verdict on another spending spree threatens to be unflattering.
That Tielemans was given the captain’s armband on just his sixth appearance was a vote of no confidence in others. Bruno Fernandes apart, United can look short of leadership. Carrick is never the most demonstrative, which made him a welcome antidote to Amorim. But whereas he showed a sure touch with his decision-making last season, including several telling substitutions, now too many calls can be questioned. He has repeatedly looked too slow to make changes during games; it was emblematic that he had three substitutes waiting to come on when Gross got Brighton’s equaliser.
Fabian Hurzeler’s tactics were instructive, too. Brighton played with a back three, which seems to be kryptonite to Carrick’s United. Perhaps there is an irony there, given Amorim’s inflexible obsession with a back three, but AC Milan beat United in an August friendly playing (inevitably) 3-4-3. October dates with Atletico, Leeds and Chelsea, who all can or do line up with a back three, may bode badly.
So does the way United have stumbled out of the blocks. Carrick was an outstanding caretaker but this season, with his signings, with him in charge of pre-season, represented a different test. So far he, and they, are failing it.
