Man Utd have had a disappointing start to the season and Michael Carrick is beginning to come under pressure, so what can he do to turn things around?
Michael Carrick has work to do to turn Manchester United's season around
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To call Manchester United's start to the season underwhelming is probably underselling it. After a summer in which a sense of momentum had built, the good vibes have already disappeared, and there is a concerning sense of deja-vu among supporters.
United have been here too often in recent years and most people will think they already know how this ends. Once a manager starts to feel the pressure in the way Michael Carrick has over the past week, turning it around can be almost impossible.
What looked like a kind start to the season on paper has proved to be anything but. There have been just two wins from seven games in all competitions and United are already 10 points off the top of the Premier League table.
It took only 90 minutes for it to look like this season was going to be a bigger challenge than anyone expected. Defeat to Hull City on the opening weekend of the season is a blow from which United haven't yet recovered.
The Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton was the kind of result from which it can be almost impossible to recover and while United - and Carrick - have had some misfortune, there should be alarm bells ringing as well.
The late equaliser at Fulham at least avoided three weeks of speculation over his future, but the elongated international break has to be put to good use. The schedule is demanding when the action resumes and the games are only going to get harder as well.
Those United players not on international duty will get some time off this week before returning to Carrington, and the full squad will be back together in the days before the Premier League fixture with Tottenham.
So what does Carrick need to focus on between now and then to try and make sure this is just a blip, rather than the beginning of the end of another managerial tenure at Old Trafford?
Get them running
The running stats don't look kind for United at the moment and there was some disagreement internally over whether this is an issue or not at Fulham. After Matheus Cunha had said the team lacked energy at the start of the second half, Carrick insisted fitness wasn't a problem.
It's certainly being overplayed to a degree. The bigger concern is that this isn't a team set up to run. A midfield of Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes isn't going to thrive if games become a physical battle. They are set up to control games.
The issue is that it goes against the current trend in the Premier League, where pace, power and physicality are prized assets. You fear for United if Carrick thinks he can achieve success without compromising on his ideals of a midfield that prizes possession above all else.
We're not going to see an instant change in how United approach games from a running perspective, but Carlos Baleba could make a difference. He is quicker than the current options in central midfield and can naturally cover more ground. His energy and approach to the game could bring about an improvement and he needs to be starting sooner rather than later.
Rethink the attack
Benjamin Sesko will have further scans on his shin this week before United devise a treatment plan for the Slovenian striker, but the fear is he will need another spell on the sidelines.
As the only natural striker in the squad, his absence is a blow, especially as the attack isn't functioning well enough at the moment. Something needs to change.
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Cunha as the false nine isn't working and there doesn't appear to be much understanding between Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford at the moment.
Mbeumo has done well for Carrick as a No. 9 and he can be the answer through the middle, with Shea Lacey or Amad on the right. Carrick clearly likes a flexible front three, and maybe he returns Cunha to the left and start to use Rashford off the bench.
Learn to control
The issue with the running stats is that United can't control games either. If the midfield was functioning as Carrick wants to, Mainoo and Tielemans would be seeing more of the ball, the team would be dominating possession and how far they are running and how hard they work out of possession wouldn't be the issue it is now.
Carrick wants a midfield that can bring control to the Premier League but that is easier said than done at the moment. United couldn't control the game against Everton when they led twice and they had zero control against Brighton, despite leading 2-0.
Even away at Fulham, who began the day bottom of the Premier League, it felt like the game was being played on their terms more than United's.
Carrick needs his style to stick sooner rather than later. He has built a team for possession so they need to start delivering that and showing they can shut games down when they need to.