Having engineered a near-perfect return to Manchester United from January onwards last season, Michael Carrick could never have expected to be the focal point of such scrutiny in September.
But with only five points from as many Premier League fixtures, the 45-year-old is enduring an altogether familiar experience in the Old Trafford hot seat.
Erik ten Hag’s side drew criticism for underwhelming performances despite returning silverware, while Ruben Amorim’s dogmatic insistence on an ill-fitting system was widely ridiculed. Caught between those two failed extremes, Carrick’s squad appears to lack an identity.
It’s one thing for a United side to drop points, but it’s another dynamic entirely when an expensively assembled group appears unwilling to deliver until they find themselves trailing.
The contrast in tempo and urgency is night and day, a pedestrian trait that was again punished when Lisandro Martinez’s own goal handed Fulham the lead at Craven Cottage.
Worryingly, Carrick appears unwilling to acknowledge the glaring issues on display. Instead, the United chief has begun to exhibit much of the tactical idealism we witnessed during his Middlesbrough spell.
While such public shielding mirrors the protective approach of his former partner Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it only serves to further frustrate an already agitated supporter base.
He is not solely to blame for the current predicament, though, and the players must swallow their share of accountability.
Say what you will about hunger and desire, but something is unquestionably off when Bruno Fernandes appears incapable of leading by example in his usually tenacious manner.
Yet, despite a dejected stance and an altogether underwhelming situation, writing off the current coaching regime feels entirely premature after five fixtures.
In Carrick and Steve Holland, United possess a duo with shared experience from last season to guide this squad out of its current rut, given the bond the group has built.
Don’t get me wrong, I recognise how poorly this team have performed on the field, and how equally underwhelming the game management has been on the touchline. Still, is initiating a third sacking in as many seasons truly the correct approach?
Without getting bogged down in what Ineos did not provide during the summer window, I prefer to look at what Carrick has at his disposal today.
Football is a game of endless margins, and the conversation would be entirely different if not for Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ last-minute equaliser and a calamitous officiating job during the Manchester Derby.
Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox have left their coach in an awkward spot, and their decisions are already reflected in results. Of course, Carrick is not free of blame, but will another replacement turn this group into immediate contenders?
I never pretend to have answers to every question, nor do I claim to know more than you, but I believe the solution to ongoing issues must be engineered at Carrington; not in further dismissals with delusions of grandeur.
But if Carrick and Holland are to arrest this slump before Ineos’ hand is eventually forced, the duo must abolish this lethargic brand of play through a pedestrian transition that requires Bruno to drop far too deep.
This group of players can hurt any team in any competition if they play to their strengths and move the ball with pace and intent in the final third, ultimately embracing a greater sense of urgency.
Furthermore, the more senior squad members must insist on fixing this striking lack of intensity out of possession and re-injecting athleticism and a similar urgency to reclaim the ball.
Anything else will lead to another change in the managerial seat and questions about the long-term health of this once-great football club under its incompetent ownership.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our social channels. Photo by News Images via depositphotos.com.
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