When asked about whether he will remain in charge as Manchester United take on AS Roma in the Champions League in midweek, Michael Carrick was curt. “Yes,” the under-fire boss said.
It’s been a horrorshow of a season so far for the Red Devils persuasion, who were beaten by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, thus keeping United on one Premier League win, nine matches played.
It was all going okay. Across the first half, the visitors were probably the better side, hemming Xabi Alonso’s Blues in. But Lisandro Martinez’s moment of madness unravelled much of the good work.
Lisandro Martinez’s moment of madness
After the hour mark, Martinez gave away the penalty from which Cole Palmer converted to make it 2-0 to Chelsea. Morgan Rogers had already broken the deadlock moments after the break after careless United defending, but that was the final nail in the coffin for a squad already shorn of confidence and durability.
It’s funny – with a bitter kind of irony – that Martinez contributed toward a defeat that United could not afford in west London. After all, Martinez was so vocal about the club’s shortcomings at senior level when Como defeated Carrick’s side in the Champions League, only to fall short on the field in the Premier League, failing to walk the walk.
The Argentina international, of course, will also miss next weekend’s crucial league clash against Aston Villa at the Theatre of Dreams. It should go without saying that United need to bounce back against Unai Emery’s side.
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Man United – Player Ratings vs Chelsea |
|
|---|---|
|
Match Stats |
# |
|
Senne Lammens |
4/10 |
|
Leny Yoro |
4/10 |
|
Harry Maguire |
5/10 |
|
Lisandro Martinez |
3/10 |
|
Diogo Dalot |
4/10 |
|
Andrey Santos |
4/10 |
|
Carlos Baleba |
3/10 |
|
Amad Diallo |
4/10 |
|
Bruno Fernandes |
3/10 |
|
Bryan Mbeumo |
5/10 |
|
Matheus Cunha |
4/10 |
However, uncertainty continues to simmer away regarding the man in the dugout. Carrick believes he will stay in charge, but there’s no question that time is running out for the 45-year-old.
Why Michael Carrick expects to remain in charge
Whether or not Carrick should remain in charge is a matter for debate. But there’s no question that he expects to remain in charge for the forthcoming period at Old Trafford – certainly until the November international break in a few weeks.
Carrick is failing to get a tune out of these players right now, but let’s be honest, it is those on the field who continually let the club down. Man United are a shadow of their former selves, and sacking the former midfielder and replacing him with someone like Eddie Howe, who is ostensibly the frontrunner to take over, may only feed into the unending cycle of misery in Manchester.
Carrick and Martinez and even Bruno Fernandes, who flattered to deceive once again as his brilliant career at the club starts to flake away, will take the gloomy headlines over the coming days.
However, there was another member of the Red Devils persuasion who once more showed he’s not performing to Man United standards right now.
No one is talking about Man Utd flop
Much of the discourse surrounding Manchester United centres on the manager, the decision-makers above him and the culture under the Glazers which has not abated since Sir Jim Ratcliffe got involved.
However, the players have to be held accountable for the quality (or lack thereof) they are providing on the field, and Carlos Baleba quietly put in a disastrous showing at Stamford Bridge.
Baleba was welcomed for his combative energy and his progressiveness on the ball. Against Chelsea, he was abject, winning just one of his six ground battles across the afternoon and failing to even attempt a dribble or create a chance. Still, he completed only 71% of his passes and lost the ball 12 times.
Hardly indicative of a marquee signing, right? Hooked before the hour mark, content creator Mark Goldbridge remarked that the Cameroon international is “never a £70m player“.
Baleba was desperate to join Manchester United in 2025. That move fell through, and his Premier League form with Brighton never quite returned to the same levels.
To think that United paid £70m to bring Baleba over to the Theatre of Dreams, he’s struggling to prove that he’s worth half that amount in a Man Utd midfield that needs leadership and maturity.
It looks like he has some way to go before hitting the right notes at Old Trafford. As it is, there’s no question that the Cameroonian is not providing in the way United need to recharge their flagging midfield.
