Michael Carrick will still be Manchester United’s manager when they play Roma in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Tuesday. The club have decided to keep him for now, even after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.
Carrick was asked on television after the game if he expected to be in charge against Roma. He said yes. “We’ve got to move forward,” he added.
Nine games without a win
The numbers are hard to ignore. United have now gone nine games without a win in all competitions, their worst run since 1988. They are 17th in the Premier League with seven points, and only goal difference keeps them out of the bottom three.
Carrick came close to losing his job last week. United lost 4-1 at Como in the Champions League and then 3-0 at home to Bournemouth, and many people expected him to go. Instead, director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada met and decided to give him more time.
A good first half, then it fell apart
At Stamford Bridge, United were the better side before the break and made several good chances. They did not take any of them. Morgan Rogers scored for Chelsea early in the second half. Then Lisandro Martínez picked up two quick yellow cards and gave away a penalty, and Cole Palmer scored it to make it 2-0.
What comes next
After Roma, United host Aston Villa next Sunday. Carrick is expected to be in charge for both games, and the club will look at his position again during the international break that follows.
If United do make a change, reports in England say Eddie Howe would be the first choice for Wilcox. Julian Nagelsmann has also been named in reports, and he is said to be rated highly by United’s recruitment director Christopher Vivell, who worked with him at RB Leipzig. For now, though, the job is still Carrick’s.
Our take
Carrick has two games to change the mood, and the Roma game may be the bigger of the two. A win on Tuesday would give the players belief before Villa. Another defeat would make the next review very short.
The worrying part is that United are making chances and still losing. That points to confidence as much as tactics, and only results will fix it.
Should Manchester United stick with Michael Carrick, or make a change now? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Michael Carrick by Gordon Flood (CC BY 2.0), Michael Carrick by Matt Janzer (CC BY-SA 2.0), Old Trafford by Fp0119 (CC BY 4.0), Eddie Howe by Timmy96 (CC0).
