It was easy to listen to the tone of Lisandro Martinez’s voice and not the words of his scathing speech in the aftermath of Manchester United‘s defeat against Atletico Madrid in mid-week. As far as INEOS and Jason Wilcox were concerned, nothing mattered more than the fact he had aired his grievances.
When dissecting those grievances and listening to those words just days later, however, it’s hard to argue against Martinez’s pipe bomb.
In the wake of a frustrating 1-1 draw with rivals Leeds United, how can fans look past a team which featured just one defender in his natural position in the second half?
Martinez took his best shot at Wilcox, but it’s teammates like Amad Diallo who are continuing to provide an inadvertent shield, deflecting the criticism back onto the pitch.
Why Carrick must now drop Amad Diallo
When Michael Carrick announced his starting side, there would have been flashbacks of Ruben Amorim for Amad. For the first time since the Portuguese manager’s departure, he found himself at wing-back and back in unfamiliar territory – sparking several questions about where his future lies.
In many ways, however, it sums things up for Amad. At 24 years old, the winger no longer has the excuse of incoming potential. This is someone who should be entering the peak of his powers. Instead, it’s becoming tougher and tougher to point out where Amad’s biggest strength lies.
When deployed as a winger, the Man United man has averaged 0.6 take-ons per 90 minutes and been successful with just 20% of his dribbles. As a wing-back against Leeds, he then made five tackles, four recoveries and was not dribbled past once.
It begs a major question over his best position and that should concern the Ivorian. If he doesn’t have the attributes to star in an attacking role, then he may have no choice but to move on. After all, a permanent wing-back role is unlikely to arrive at Old Trafford so soon after Amorim’s failure in such a system.
That’s one of many headaches for Carrick, who had no choice but to change things up. The worry for the Man United boss is that the three points still didn’t arrive and one major issue still remained.
Amad wasn’t Man Utd’s only poor performer
Amad was unadventurous, but at least fulfilled his wing-back role against Leeds. There remain question marks over his ability, but he is not the only one in the firing line.
Carrick will be facing the same questions that many before him have faced at Old Trafford. In a managerial market full of talent, there is no doubt that INEOS have plenty to consider.
Bruno Fernandes is also still without a goal or assist since a star-studded display against Ipswich Town, and then there’s the major issue of Andrey Santos’ form.
Whilst Amad frustrated many, Santos’ disappointing display dipped under the radar ever so slightly. In just his third start for the club, the £50m arrival showed little signs of improvement – making just five defensive contributions on a day to forget.
|
Santos vs Leeds |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
49 |
|
Accurate passes |
29/36 (81%) |
|
Chances created |
2 |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
|
Ball recoveries |
2 |
|
Duels won |
4/9 |
|
Distance covered |
11.1 km |
Santos’ performance once again points back to Martinez’s words about INEOS’ recruitment. Whether that will lead to some awkward relationships inside Man United’s dressing room is something to note, but that doesn’t make the centre-back’s verdict wrong.
Santos cost United as much as £50m in the summer. Since then, he has earned three starts, averaged just 4.68 recoveries and covered just 11.9 km per 90.
At a time when the Red Devils are being outworked by almost every side they come up against, the last thing they need is another weak runner in midfield. Santos is exactly that.
When Kobbie Mainoo returns to the action, Carrick must act ruthlessly and drop his big-money signing.
