Manchester United fell to yet another defeat in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, as Chelsea claimed a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
Michael Carrick's side started well and should have been ahead at half-time, but fell behind to a Morgan Rogers strike in the early minutes of the second half, before Cole Palmer scored a penalty to wrap up the three points.
United were reduced to ten men after Lisandro Martinez picked up two yellow cards in five minutes, including conceding the penalty for a wild elbow on Wesley Fofana while defending a corner, in a decision that essentially cost the visitors any chance of being able to pick up some much-needed points.
The result means that United have now won just two of their 13 games in all competitions this season, and are winless in their last nine games. However, Carrick is still expected to be in charge for the midweek Champions League clash against Roma at Old Trafford, with INEOS having opted to give him more time to turn things around.
With the former midfielder set to be in the dugout for the next game, he must once again return to the well and look for a solution to turn the team's fortunes around and get a positive result for the first time since the middle of September.
It's evident that Carrick cannot trust Martinez anymore, with the player having clearly checked out of Old Trafford mentally and being far more of a hindrance and liability than a help currently. The World Cup winner has been responsible for five goals that the team have conceded, and after his public callout of senior staff, it seems obvious that he simply doesn't want to be there anymore.
United have got defensive options to be able to reshuffle, but Carrick clearly needs to make more than just one change when you consider the performance of Harry Maguire against Chelsea too.
A Data Table Depicting Harry Maguire stats vs Chelsea Including Def. contributions, Tackles (won), Interceptions,
The 33-year-old struggled massively with the pace and movement of the Chelsea attack, and was at fault for Rogers' opening goal as he just ran straight through the middle of the team and dinked the ball over Senne Lammens.
He won just half of his tackle attempts and aerial duels in the game, and his passing wasn't at its best either, as he completed just 83% of his 36 pass attempts. That earned him a 3/10 rating from The Express, and for someone considered to be a leader in the squad, it's not good enough, and Carrick must stop rewarding poor performances if he is going to see any change.
Did it happen before or after?
Round 1 of 9
Man Utd Are Better Without Harry Maguire
Reuters/David Klein
United want to play front foot football and squeeze their opponents high up the pitch, but they simply can't do that with Maguire in the team.
His performances this season have been way below par, and with Martinez clearly on the way out too, the team must begin to plan for life without him. Carrick has options to choose from too, with Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven available, while Matthijs De Ligt is also fit again following back surgery which kept him out for almost a year.
Carrick knows that he can call upon a variety of defensive profiles, and if he wants someone physically demanding and dominant, then De Ligt is a better option anyway. Ultimately, Roma's form and United's recent performances mean that Maguire should not be playing in midweek if Carrick wants to keep his job.
He’s now spoken out on the incident :speaking_head_in_silhouette:
He’s now spoken out on the incident :speaking_head_in_silhouette: