Manchester United’s season is already hitting a brick wall, extending their painful winless streak to six games after a frustrating 1-1 draw at Leeds United. Forget positive spins, this club is in a deep hole, and honestly, it’s getting tough to watch. Bryan Mbeumo, who plays for Leeds, is practically mocking them, bagging his fourth goal in just seven Premier League games at Elland Road. Meanwhile, for United, outside of Bruno Fernandes’ hat-trick back in August against Ipswich, no other player in Michael Carrick’s squad has scored more than once. That’s just pathetic.
The Winless Run & a Desperate Manager
It’s true, United managed a “reasonably well” performance at Leeds, just like they did at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday after giving up an early goal. But come on, “reasonably well” isn’t the standard for Manchester United. Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, hit it right on the head on Sky Sports, saying, “Because they haven’t lost at Leeds, we’re thinking United have done all right… But in some ways that is a negative. We are dropping the standards. We shouldn’t really be talking about Manchester United like that.” He’s not wrong. This six-game skid is their worst since the 2018-19 season when things went south after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got the permanent manager gig. Carrick, for his part, claims he “had the headphones on” this week, avoiding all the “external noise” from Lisandro Martinez’s rant. But even with the headphones, he’s gotta know they desperately need to start winning games. This isn’t just a blip; it’s a trend, and it’s ugly.
Internal Chaos and Crippling Injuries
The noise Carrick tried to block out? That was Lisandro Martinez, who absolutely lit the touchpaper before the Leeds game, ripping into sporting director Jason Wilcox and the United hierarchy for not recruiting effectively this past summer. Wilcox was right there in the stands at Elland Road, watching Martinez start the game after apologizing for the *timing* and *forum* of his attack, not the actual criticism itself. You can see his point too, especially with the mess at left-back. Diogo Dalot was the fifth different player to start in that spot this season because United apparently couldn’t bring in any competition for Luke Shaw. Who knows if Shaw will even be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Como? All these changes can’t be helping Carrick one bit. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Martinez went off at halftime with a thigh injury. With Matthijs de Ligt’s fitness still delicate after nearly a year out with a back problem, Carrick had to bring on full-back Noussair Mazraoui instead of the Netherlands international. It’s a complete nightmare.
Carrick tried to spin it after the draw, saying it “felt like a bit of a fresh start today, to be honest, with where we’re at – accepting it and doing something about it.” He added he’s not saying “everything’s great,” and that they just need to “find a way through” and be “stable enough to keep doing the right things.” He’s got no doubts they can go on a good run, but let’s be real, his side finished the game sitting 13th in the Premier League. Thirteenth! They could even drop lower before the match round is over. Unlike Ruben Amorim, whose explosive press conference after last season’s fixture got him fired within 24 hours, Carrick is still trying to project confidence. But you have to wonder how long that can last. Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Como is a massive test for a team that seems to be falling apart at the seams. What will Carrick find to say then?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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