Manchester United, authors of 20 top-flight titles and three European Cups, enter the November international break one point off the bottom of the Premier League. The club has not finished higher than third in half a decade, and its lowest finish in 22 years was third place.
United sit 18th and are in more than half-hearted discussions about relegation to the Championship. The squad includes 15 players who cost at least $50 million to acquire, yet the team looks unlikely to find success over 90 minutes on a Premier League pitch.
At home, United came back from a pair of two-goal deficits to rescue a point against a fellow Champions League club. There was no visible jubilation afterward. That reaction is a serious concern, especially after a comeback win against AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League. The players seem unable to enjoy positive moments and appear to guard their feelings instead.
Under manager Michael Carrick, a club legend from his playing days, the fans cannot decide whom they like less: the administrators who handed him the full-time job, or the players who seem to leave him exposed.
A revolving door since Sir Alex Ferguson
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, United have lost with a string of managers who would make a strong podcast lineup. Two of their previous bosses now have Real Madrid top of the Champions League table and AC Milan in a Serie A title discussion. Another has a different Premier League club in the top-four race.
The underlying numbers do not match a 19th-place team, and that is the core problem. United have a club mentality issue from top to bottom. Former players who won so much at Old Trafford still react with disbelief when the Red Devils play poorly, whether under a former teammate or one of the biggest names in the game.
For years, the club was known for winning matches it had not earned on the balance of play, snatching results and even stretching games into the legendary “Fergie Time” at the Theater of Dreams. United are now judged against a champions’ standard even though they have not met that standard for a long time. Strong players, including Casemiro and homegrown midfielder Scott McTominay, the 2024-25 Serie A Player of the Year, have been moved on in pursuit of improvement, while others remain on the strength of past performances.
The numbers tell the story
Entering the weekend, United ranked first in the Premier League in shot attempts, by a margin of 15. That statistic makes the 19th-place start look like bad luck in front of goal. Other numbers point to a different problem:
- Set-piece goals: 20th
- Set-piece goals conceded: 19th
- Ground duels won: 10th
- Aerial duels won: 12th
Those figures are poor, but they are in line with where the team currently sits. The talent is there to compete for a top-four place. Over long stretches of matches, however, the side performs like a mid-table team. Mind-melting mistakes and a lack of focus and commitment from minute to minute have dragged United from mid-table into the bottom three.
If Jurgen Klopp had his “Mentality Monsters” at Liverpool, Carrick has what might be called “Melancholic Messes.” This United side seems to concede at the worst possible moments and in avoidable situations. The players switch off like a faulty fuse. Performances like this are not good enough at the biggest club in the world, and effort alone is the bare minimum.
Carrick’s brief success and an uncertain midfield
The struggles stand out even more because Carrick appeared to have cleaned up a messy ship last season. He took over Ruben Amorim’s out-of-order team and turned it into a working unit that climbed into third place in the table.
Only one player of consequence remains from that team: Casemiro, who has since departed. United signed three players to fill his role. Ten games into the season, the midfield remains unsettled and at times looks untenable.
Carrick is not the right long-term appointment, and he lacks the tactical experience and managerial record needed to steer the club back into the top four. To be fair, he was never going to turn down the job, and there were reasons to hope he would show skills not yet seen in his managerial career. He is also unlikely to walk away from a club he loves. He is stuck, and after the decision to give him the job full time, the club is stuck with him too.
Whether United part ways with him during the international break or let him continue until January, the club needs real solutions for this current team. It is admirable that United fought back from one two-goal deficit and then repeated the feat to earn a point. They rescued their goalkeeper and themselves. Most clubs would celebrate that moment, but this side looks like it is preparing for the next two-goal deficit. The question now is where they will finish, and whether they would take eighth place today.