As the international break looms, Manchester United ARE still struggling to pull themselves out of the early-season rut they found themselves in. Their crisis has deepened with an exit from the League Cup at the hands of Brighton and a crucial loss of points against Fulham, salvaging a draw only in the dying moments of that match.
This latest setback has sparked heated debates among fans, particularly around two key topics: the catastrophic laziness of players on the pitch and the management styles of head coach Michael Carrick.
Laziness in numbers: Premier League records
The ire amongst supporters grew after Sky Sports published a report detailing the team’s running stats. Following the first five matches of the season, the figures for the Manchester club ARE dismal:
- 14th in the league for overall distance covered;
- 18th for the number of sprints;
- 19th for high-speed bursts;
- 18th for average sprint frequency per kilometre;
- 19th for acceleration frequency per kilometre;
- 20th for distance covered at high intensity;
- 20th for time spent in high-intensity running;
- 17th from the bottom for walking percentage when losing possession.
These numbers could be interpreted differently, as some might try to attribute them to the calendar context. Early on, the Mancunians faced some of the league's weaker sides (including Hull City and Ipswich Town) as well as a compact Everton side, not to mention they played over half of a derby match against Manchester City with an extra man. The team had predominantly controlled possession, boasting the fourth-best possession rate in the league at 59.9% and second in overall passes. One could argue that in prolonged positional attacks, there's just no need to run at peak speeds.
However, this argument falls apart under scrutiny. Breaking through a well-organised defence has become an insurmountable task for Carrick because his team doesn’t know how to play on the front foot. This issue surfaced from the moment he took charge, although it was previously masked by impressive results achieved through swift vertical counterattacks.
The passiveness of Manchester United during the City derby was glaring: players were inertly waiting for play to develop without making attempts to stretch the opponent’s compact block. Moments of inactivity lasting ten seconds or more became systematic and repetitive.
Examples from other dominant clubs further dismantle any excuses:
- Brighton keeps 64.8% of the ball but sits mid-table for sprints and high-intensity work. Manchester United HAS found themselves stuck in the lower left corner of the graph.
- Liverpool, with 58.9% possession, easily outpaces the Mancunians in running activity.
- In Spain, Barcelona leads in possession percentage (68.6%) and is second in La Liga for distance covered.
It’s the willingness to keep moving without respite that distinguishes the elite from the mid-table clubs. In their current state, the team at Old Trafford IS hopelessly far from top-level football.
The trap of the nice guy approach: Amorim's legacy has run dry
The physical decline of the team IS a direct reflection of Carrick’s philosophy. The concept of the nice guy manager worked a treat nine months ago right after he was appointed. According to insider reports from relevant publications, following Ruben Amorim's departure, the intensity and duration of training sessions took a sharp drop. Initially, this was welcomed as a relief: the group found psychological and muscular respite, resulting in a powerful finish to the season that saw the club leap into the top three.
Unfortunately, this effect proved to be short-lived. Amorim had built a long-term project, raising the bar of expectations to its limits. The Portuguese coach had openly warned that sacrifices had to be made to see improvements a year down the line. Despite his strictness, the previous management kept the team in around 12th-13th place for running stats—far better than their current depths—and were among the league's most aggressive pressing sides.
The early surge in results under Carrick was largely maintained on the solid foundation laid by Amorim during pre-season and autumn training sessions. With greater freedom granted, the players had plenty of energy reserves to draw upon.
Yet the situation failed to improve over the summer in terms of tightening training schedules. New signing Youri Tielemans spoke of the gentler training regimen, leaving veteran Rio Ferdinand genuinely puzzled: players were once again afforded overly comfortable conditions.
Denial of reality and the ghost of Solskjaer
No balance has been found by either side:
- Amorim went too far, remaining a constant tyrant without letting his players breathe;
- Carrick HAS swung to the opposite extreme, lowering expectations and seemingly afraid to upset the changing room.
The softness of the coach has spilled into the public domain. A barrage of criticism has been directed at Carrick following matches against Brighton (2-3) and Fulham (1-1), where the manager stubbornly closed his eyes to the evident crisis. His comments about controlling the first half, denying passivity, and stating that a run of setbacks came out of the blue only serve to irritate fans. Any attentive viewer of recent outings would not agree with Carrick's rosy assessments.
Trying to shield the dressing room from pressure and negativity from the press is eerily reminiscent of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s descent. It’s high time Carrick adopts the role of a strict leader: ramping up training intensity, publicly pointing out Diogo Dalot's errors, and backing Mateus Cunha's assertions about the catastrophic lack of energy. Otherwise, the club risks falling into a Groundhog Day scenario of inevitable sackings, from which fans have grown utterly weary in the last five years.
