Michael Carrick under pressure after Man Utd’s historic Brighton collapse
Manchester United have suffered a damaging 3-2 home defeat to Brighton after throwing away a 2-0 lead, leaving Michael Carrick under immediate pressure following a miserable few days at Old Trafford.
The Wednesday-night loss was a grim landmark for United: it was their first defeat at home after leading by two goals for more than half a century. It came shortly after a 1-0 setback against 10-man Manchester City, intensifying scrutiny on Carrick’s start to the campaign.
Carrick won the permanent job during the summer after steering United back into the Champions League, but former United forward Louis Saha believes the current problems are rooted in the manager’s tactical set-up rather than the quality of the squad.
Saha said the club’s summer recruitment had not been ideal, yet argued that Carrick must quickly alter the way his side play. “The issue this season is not the players,” he said. “Michael Carrick has to adapt.”
He believes United lack a coherent attacking structure, adding that the side need clearer combinations and repeatable patterns to produce better football. In Saha’s view, the present approach is putting Carrick at risk because the shortcomings cannot simply be placed on the players.
The former striker also singled out United’s midfield tempo. He said the two deeper midfield players have been too content to move the ball slowly across the pitch, rather than finding forward passes that create isolated attacking situations.
That caution, he argued, has hurt United both in possession and on the break. Saha said it would make little difference whether Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo leads the attack if the team do not take more risks and push play forward sooner.
United have generated opportunities, but Saha warned that too few have been clean chances. He also pointed to the lack of use made of Marcus Rashford’s pace behind opposition defences, leaving the attack without a crucial outlet.
What happens next
Carrick now needs an immediate reaction in United’s next match after successive defeats to City and Brighton. Another poor result would deepen the concern around his position remarkably early in the season.
