Michael Carrick's position as Manchester United head coach will come under review this week, and despite a win against Roma and a draw against Aston Villa, there are reasons for concern at Old Trafford. United have won only one of their first 10 league games and have not won in the Premier League since August 30.
Mixed results fail to mask deeper problems
On the surface, if Carrick was not sacked after heavy defeats to Como and Bournemouth, his position should be safe after the recent positive results. However, having hesitated on his future two weeks ago, United's decision-makers may see the two-week international break as the optimum moment to make a change.
The excitement of two dramatic games at Old Trafford cannot hide the fact that United will be in the relegation zone for at least two weeks. The club's co-owners, along with chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, have tried to support Carrick but have doubts about whether he is the right man to lead the team forward.
Defensive frailties and 'extremes'
Carrick insisted after the game that he would not quit and sounded like someone expecting to be in charge at Anfield in two weeks. United showed spirit to rescue themselves against Roma and twice fought back from two-goal deficits to earn a 4-4 draw against Villa, but they have conceded 15 goals in five games, often in clusters.
Carrick acknowledged the inconsistency after Sunday's match. "There's definitely extremes to it, of course there is," he said. "The fact that it's moments and one-off moments, I think the bigger picture in terms of the generic football, everything else that's going into the game, that if we really tighten up on these moments - granted, it's what defines games, but it's moments that are really causing us the problems."
Decision time for the club's leadership
Berrada and Wilcox celebrated Patrick Dorgu's 96th-minute equaliser against Villa, but with five minutes to go they would have known they had little choice but to sack the man in charge. Any decision to remove Carrick should also signal the end for those executives, who have presided over three years of failure.
The problems at the club run deep, but for Carrick the easiest change to make is the man in the dugout. The 45-year-old could argue this week has shown signs he can turn it around, but with his team flirting with a relegation battle, he will have to accept whatever decision the club's leadership comes up with this week.
