The week United ran out of road
Manchester City won 1–0 at Old Trafford on Sep 13. United have four points from four league games and sit 13th, with a goal difference of zero. That is the week in one line.
The derby was the game Carrick could afford to lose on paper and could not afford to lose in the table, and it left his team heading to Craven Cottage needing a win before the international break (1). Losing at home to City by a single goal is not a humiliation. Six points from a possible twelve, with Hull City and Everton among the fixtures, is the part that stings. This is not a slow start being managed. It is a team with no margin.
The striker problem is now a squad problem
Benjamin Sesko is out for the Fulham trip, and Matthijs de Ligt is absent too (3) (5) (18). Add Luke Shaw only now returning after three games out (2), and Carrick is picking a team from the parts, not from the plan. Carlos Baleba starts on the bench at Craven Cottage (2) (3).
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The midfield that was supposed to give United legs in transition is still being introduced, one appearance at a time. Sesko's absence removes the forward who gives this side a target when the game turns ugly, and United have played too many ugly games already this season.
Rooney is right, and that should worry Carrick
Wayne Rooney said United are too nice, that the squad lacks the players who wind opponents up and frustrate them (23). He named the profile: a nasty streak, someone who makes the other team uncomfortable.
Look at the last month and it holds. Everton got a 2–2 from a game United should have closed. City took the derby with one goal and United never made them sweat for it. You can argue about tactics all week. The absence of a player who makes a match hurt the opponent is harder to coach away, and it is the kind of thing that decides the tight games United keep dropping.
The academy is bleeding at the same time
JJ Gabriel is closing in on an exit, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal all in the picture for a 15-year-old (4) (7) (9) (13). United have started scouting Lens teenager Mezian Mesloub as a long-term replacement (5) (11) (19). Steven Gerrard, asked about the case on TNT Sports, warned that children can be pushed into career decisions too early (26).
Meanwhile the recruitment debate has reopened around Christopher Vivell and the summer targets he wanted, Ederson and Tyler Adams (16). Losing your best academy prospect while your first team sits 13th is a bad combination for a manager who controls neither.
What to watch
Fulham away, and the international break waiting on the other side of it (1) (27). Carrick needs three points and a performance that looks like a plan, with Shaw back in the back four and Baleba due minutes (2).
Ederson and Antonio Conte are being mentioned in the same week, and that tells you how the board is thinking (16) (34). Watch the shape out of possession. If United concede first at Craven Cottage, the noise gets much louder.
