With the ball, without the ball, we were off it." A fair assessment from Michael Carrick, if not a wholly explanatory one. Stuck in the mire of Manchester United's worst start to a league season for 40 years, the manager appeared lost for legitimate reasons. His margin for error is shrinking by the week.
Why were his side outplayed at home by the Premier League's bottom club? Why can't they hold onto leads? Why do they seem incapable of playing against 10 men?
All of these are fair questions to put to the man himself and many were asked of Carrick in the wake of Saturday's 1-1 draw with Spurs. None were answered with enough detail to satisfy, though, only really serving to hold a mirror up to what was delivered on the pitch: inadequacy. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Clearly the manager can only accept so much of the blame.
His players are yet to offer a single complete performance, only bit-part displays of individualism and self-direction. Where is the cohesiveness that shaped the backend of last year? What happened to the clarity that turned a collapsed season into a third-place finish?
Fans who turn up to Old Trafford every week are back to being unsure. They do not know what to expect from one game to the next, only how to voice their dissatisfaction at what transpires. Three separate choruses of boos could be heard from the terraces on Saturday.
"I think the fans will stay with the project," reflected Gary Neville from Old Trafford. "I don't think the boos are against Michael Carrick for one minute. But what I would say is, they're turning quite quickly." When United needed a calm voice to steer the ship at the beginning of this year, they turned to a man whose entire playing career was built on it.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
