For the past two weeks of the international break, the Premier League’s loudest noise was coming from elsewhere, granting Manchester United a rare stretch of silence. Without Manchester City’s own troubles dominating the agenda, Michael Carrick might have faced far more scrutiny over the first five games of the season.
As it is, United sit 12th in the Premier League with only one win to their name, and they will find company in their misery at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Tottenham, bottom of the table, are the visitors, with both sides hoping to kickstart their campaigns. Spurs have taken a measly two points after a summer in which £300m was spent on Roberto De Zerbi’s rebuild, and their only league goals so far came in a 3-2 defeat by Aston Villa just before the international break. For Carrick and United, beating the worst team in the league is close to a necessity.
The timing makes it sharper still. October is both theoretically and practically problematic for United, who have six fixtures this month, including away games against Leeds, Atlético Madrid, Como and Chelsea — opponents who play a variety of styles and require very different preparation. On paper, the second easiest game of the month is Bournemouth at home, which leaves the Spurs match as the most inviting opportunity in a crowded and difficult schedule.
Carrick has plenty of credit in the bank from his work in the second half of last season, when United won 12 of 17 games after he took interim charge in January, and he will be afforded as much time as possible to get things right because nobody is eager for another mid-season change of manager. United nonetheless need to be in a better position by the end of October than they were at the start of it, which will require a significant improvement on the pitch.
There are fine margins Carrick can point to. The opening-day defeat at Hull was a grisly performance and worthy of criticism, Ipswich were eventually dispatched, and the derby was a tight and controversial loss that came between two draws. Beneath the results, United have conceded fewer opposition touches in their own box than any other team in the league, yet they are the only side still without a clean sheet. They can also boast the most touches in opposition boxes, but are largely incapable of killing matches off.
United dominate possession, averaging 60% per match, but cannot translate that control into goals and points. Even in the victory over Ipswich they were unable to put together a full 90 minutes of composure, relying on Bruno Fernandes to drag them through against a promoted side. Fernandes is one of only two players, alongside Bryan Mbeumo, to have scored twice or more, his hat-trick coming against Ipswich, while no United player has more than one assist. Matheus Cunha, the man tasked with leading the line, has only one goal to his name and even that took a heavy deflection. Marcus Rashford has shown glimpses of promise on the left but has no goal involvements, giving the impression of a player who needs a confidence boost after returning to the club where he was not wanted for 18 months.
The most worrying of United’s defeats was the loss to 10-man Manchester City, which showed how far off they look against a Champions League side. Phil Foden’s red card gave them plenty of space but they were unable to take advantage, instead plodding around, short of ideas and barely threatening — the work of a team expert at dominating possession but not games.
The club’s summer recruitment — a goalkeeper who cost nothing and three central midfielders — is coming under as much scrutiny as Carrick’s tactics. Carlos Baleba is poised to finally make his debut after joining from Brighton for £65m in August, having recovered from an ankle injury, and Carrick desperately needs the Cameroon midfielder to provide the energy that has been lacking in central areas. He has what it takes to snuff out the danger that has been leading to the concession of goals.
He is not the only player Carrick is waiting on. Benjamin Sesko is sidelined with injury, removing the option of a more traditional central striker, while Joshua Zirkzee cannot even class himself as a plan B. Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford were ruled out of playing for England, Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui saw their international breaks end prematurely, Matthijs de Ligt has not played competitively for 10 months and Amad Diallo is yet to feature this season.
With finances tight, it is imperative that United improve from within. More academy players have spent time with the squad in recent weeks, with Noah Ajayi impressing the coaches Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate, and it is thought a number of youngsters could make first-team debuts before the season concludes. That would be a display of Carrick’s long-term vision, but results will decide whether he gets the chance to implement it in the first place.
United are desperate for a catalyst. If it does not come against Tottenham at the weekend, Carrick will become fearful of Halloween.