Michael Carrick has been told Manchester United could make a critical error that might land them in trouble against Newcastle on Wednesday evening.
Michael Carrick’s excellent momentum at Manchester United showed no signs of slowing on Sunday, as a resilient win over Crystal Palace sent the Reds up to third in the Premier League table.
United were forced to respond after conceding early, but strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Šeško ensured the turnaround was complete. Attention now turns to Wednesday’s away clash with Newcastle United, managed by Eddie Howe, at St James’ Park.
The Reds have not emerged victorious at St James’ Park since October 2020, when goals from Harry Maguire, Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka sealed a commanding 4-1 success. This latest trip presents a strong opportunity to rewrite that recent history.
Newcastle come into the fixture after a 3-2 defeat on home soil to Everton and have lost four of their previous five league outings, leaving them 13th in the standings. Despite that poor run, United will be fully aware of the hostile environment that awaits them on Tyneside.
United must start fast against Newcastle, says Merson
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson knows what it’s like to fight at the very top of the Premier League, and certinaly had a fair share of his rough battles during his playing career.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, the 57-year-old has warned that if United don’t start quickly, they could be in trouble, although the form of Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo can help negate this.
“Newcastle look very tired,” Merson started. “They don’t look like the team that usually plays at St James’ Park. Just look at their recent results at home. 3-2 losses to Everton and Brentford, 2-0 loss to Villa, goalless draw against Wolves. It’s not the Newcastle we knew.
“Last season, they had a good combination between Sven Botman and Fabian Schar at the back. They are getting a bit exposed this time around with Dan Burn in there. Don’t get me wrong, I like Burn, and he’s a good player, but they are not the team from last season.
“Bruno Fernandes is back to his best under Michael Carrick. But in that game against Crystal Palace, I thought Manchester United were very slow to start. They were fortunate to not concede two goals. If United start like that against Newcastle, they are in trouble!
“Kobbie Mainoo has also stepped up so well in recent weeks. All Carrick has done is put everybody back in their best positions, and they are playing freely. It’s definitely a good time to be a Manchester United supporter.
Merson then concluded, “Newcastle are still a threat at home. They need their midfield three to start firing if they want to hurt Manchester United here. I expect an entertaining draw,” with 2-2 being his final score prediction, much like former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton.
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United need to put in a more complete performance
While United’s performances in the wins against Manchester City, Arsenal, and Fulham were all, for the most part, brilliant team displays, some of the ties since, such as West Ham, Everton, and Crystal Palace, have drawn criticism.
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The main criticism of United’s recent games has been the slow starts. It’s taken the side a while to click into gear, allowing their opponents time to get into the game and grab the first goal. This is something Carrick recognised following the win over Crystal Palace.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to find that second wind,” the United boss said. I understand that, as a player, sometimes it is like that.
“It’s not ideal, and we don’t want it, we don’t want to see it, but the boys are human, and sometimes it’s just not quite there. There are the times when you’ve got to go and find it, and we did.”
Thankfully, United will have had a few days to reassess and understand where this problem is coming from, and will hopefully fix it by the time they gear up to face Newcastle on Wednesday evening.
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