It's "Almost" Curtains for Michael Carrick
At any moment now, the news will break that Michael Carrick has been sacked. While nothing has been officially confirmed, the rumblings in the media suggest that it is pretty much a foregone conclusion.
I doubt this comes as a surprise to most United fans. The past two months have been absolutely pathetic. The loss against Hull in the first game of the season should have been the wake-up call, had it not been followed by that massive win against Ipswich.
What has been clear throughout the season is that the players haven't looked physically fit. They have been sluggish, consistently late to challenges and easily outrun by their opponents. It wasn't just their physical performances that were poor, though. They seemed equally slow mentally. Some will argue that the players simply weren't playing for the manager, and I tend to believe that.
In the last three matches, however, something seemed to change. The players looked invigorated. They ran harder, were more aggressive in their tackles and showed a greater willingness to compete for 50/50 balls. In my previous post, ahead of the Aston Villa match, I suggested that the players were simply playing for professional pride. I didn't believe this sudden improvement had anything to do with something Carrick had changed. I think subsequent performances have proven me right.
Going two goals down within the first 10 minutes of both halves suggests to me that whatever preparation Carrick put in place had the opposite of its intended effect. Once might be a coincidence, but when similar things keep happening throughout the season, it becomes a pattern.
Carrick was promoted into a job he wasn't ready for. The club should probably have shaken his hand and wished him well after he got us back into the Champions League. Once they decided to keep him, however, they should at least have given him the tools to succeed. For starters, buy the man a gahhhdamn left-back!
Everybody could see that Luke Shaw wasn't going to get through an entire season without picking up an injury, especially once the midweek games started piling up. Isn't it ironic that four of the goals United have conceded in the last two games have come as a result of not having a proper left-back?
Well, the next manager, assuming it is Mauricio Pochettino, will have to contend with many of the same problems. And the fixtures immediately after the international break aren't exactly a gentle introduction. He will face a seemingly stable but beatable Liverpool side away from home, followed by a good Sporting CP side, also away. Things get a little easier after that, although we all know there are no easy games for Manchester United.
I'm not getting my hopes up. At this point, I'm almost numb to the losses. The one thing I can no longer stomach is watching weak, lethargic performances from players who look like they couldn't care less. I haven't even bothered leaving the house to catch a game at my local club. That's how low my expectations have fallen.
Let's see where this road takes us next.
I doubt this comes as a surprise to most United fans. The past two months have been absolutely pathetic. The loss against Hull in the first game of the season should have been the wake-up call, had it not been followed by that massive win against Ipswich.
What has been clear throughout the season is that the players haven't looked physically fit. They have been sluggish, consistently late to challenges and easily outrun by their opponents. It wasn't just their physical performances that were poor, though. They seemed equally slow mentally. Some will argue that the players simply weren't playing for the manager, and I tend to believe that.
In the last three matches, however, something seemed to change. The players looked invigorated. They ran harder, were more aggressive in their tackles and showed a greater willingness to compete for 50/50 balls. In my previous post, ahead of the Aston Villa match, I suggested that the players were simply playing for professional pride. I didn't believe this sudden improvement had anything to do with something Carrick had changed. I think subsequent performances have proven me right.
Going two goals down within the first 10 minutes of both halves suggests to me that whatever preparation Carrick put in place had the opposite of its intended effect. Once might be a coincidence, but when similar things keep happening throughout the season, it becomes a pattern.
Carrick was promoted into a job he wasn't ready for. The club should probably have shaken his hand and wished him well after he got us back into the Champions League. Once they decided to keep him, however, they should at least have given him the tools to succeed. For starters, buy the man a gahhhdamn left-back!
Everybody could see that Luke Shaw wasn't going to get through an entire season without picking up an injury, especially once the midweek games started piling up. Isn't it ironic that four of the goals United have conceded in the last two games have come as a result of not having a proper left-back?
Well, the next manager, assuming it is Mauricio Pochettino, will have to contend with many of the same problems. And the fixtures immediately after the international break aren't exactly a gentle introduction. He will face a seemingly stable but beatable Liverpool side away from home, followed by a good Sporting CP side, also away. Things get a little easier after that, although we all know there are no easy games for Manchester United.
I'm not getting my hopes up. At this point, I'm almost numb to the losses. The one thing I can no longer stomach is watching weak, lethargic performances from players who look like they couldn't care less. I haven't even bothered leaving the house to catch a game at my local club. That's how low my expectations have fallen.
Let's see where this road takes us next.