Michael Carrick's job is under even more scrutiny after Manchester United were beaten by Chelsea on Saturday, extending their winless run to nine matches
Michael Carrick, Manager of Manchester United, applauds
Michael Carrick remains under huge pressure after another defeat(Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
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Manchester United's players have lost belief in Michael Carrick according to Ashley Cole, who has called for wholescale changes at the club in the wake of another defeat.
United were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea on Saturday to make it nine games without a win in all competitions. That represents the club's worst streak since 1988 and piles even more pressure on Carrick, who only just survived crisis talks earlier in the week.
Carrick's side spurned a host of chances in an even first half before collapsing in the second. Morgan Rogers' stunning run and chipped finish put the Blues ahead before Lisandro Martinez picked up two yellow cards and Cole Palmer made it 2-0 from the penalty spot.
The result left United a point above the relegation zone and sparked renewed speculation about Carrick's future. The 45-year-old said he expected to still be in charge for Tuesday's Champions League tie against Roma, but his former England team-mate Cole doesn't see a way forward for him.
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"I really really don't know but I say that in the politest way," Cole said on beIN SPORTS when asked who could replace Carrick. "There are ways to change the dynamic of this team. You talk about the players not believing in the manager at the moment. Well, you need to find someone who the players will believe in.
"But the manager has to really demand more from the players. And I keep going back to it, it drives me nuts: more personality! More personality to have the ball more, to control games.
"Chelsea are a young team, but they have the ball, the made Manchester United come out into positions where they don't want to be! Manchester United don't seem to play with that confidence, so I think it's going to have to be a [new] manager and some personnel that come in in January that can work in a similar way to the top teams."
Michael Carrick, head coach / manager of Manchester United reacts as he sits alongside Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate
Michael Carrick says he expects to stay in charge(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
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Many pundits had predicted that Carrick would be sacked following the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth last Sunday. The former midfielder appeared emotional as he left the Old Trafford pitch waving to the fans, but was given a stay of execution by the club's board.
"I'm a little bit shocked, because by his reaction to the fans he must have felt something boiling behind the scenes," Cole said about Carrick keeping his job for the Chelsea game.
"But on the other side of that, Carrick is a young manager, he has an aura and a way about him. You saw the impact he had when he came into the job, to take them from where there were to the back end of last season, there were very good performances, you could tell the team were playing for him, they had belief."
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The Chelsea legend also pointed blame towards the United hierarchy, accusing them of failing to recruit the right kind of players for Carrick. The failure to sign a left-back as competition for Luke Shaw is a particularly obvious issue, with Diogo Dalot filling in against Chelsea.