Manchester United fell to a 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth at Old Trafford, extending their winless run to eight games and almost certainly ending Michael Carrick's time as head coach. The result leaves the club with just two wins from 12 matches this season.
Carrick's Final Throw of the Dice
Carrick spent more than five minutes at the start of his Friday press conference talking about standards and history, about what Manchester United means to him and to the supporters, and what it takes to play for the club. It felt like one last throw of the dice, and his numbers did not come up.
There is an argument that he almost cares too much about this club, with the pain etched on his face. The opposite argument could be made about many of his players, and certainly about the owners. This was a game in which a response to the shambolic defeat in Como on Wednesday was required, and the players owed the supporters a shift. They barely even clocked in.
First-Half Aberration Costs United
The second half delivered plenty of huff and puff, but the first was an aberration. United coasted through it against a pretty average Bournemouth side, and the lack of hunger, intensity and passion cost them. Carrick should have torn them apart at half-time, and it was a surprise he only made one change.
Carrick's decision to drop Bruno Fernandes after his criticism of the head coach in midweek was further evidence that if he was going down, he was going down on his own terms. He left Fernandes on the bench despite turning to the out-of-his-depth Joshua Zirkzee and the teenage Shea Lacey. Not one of Carrick's players offered him a liferaft.
An eighth game without a win and a run of just two wins from 12 matches this season will almost certainly mean the end for the 45-year-old. It is always the manager who pays the price for this kind of run, and the criticisms of his tactics are not without foundation. There are no real patterns of play, no desire to press, and no sense of a team with a plan for scoring goals and keeping them out.
Fans Turn on Owners and Players
As the banner that appeared on the Stretford End just before half-time declared, 'Standards'. This is a broken football club, and a fish rots from the head. A group of players lacking character and quality did not have the fight or the ability to turn things around.
The Old Trafford faithful made it clear where their loyalties lay as the teams came out. Carrick strode out of the tunnel next to the dropped Fernandes and was serenaded by the Stretford End. Within seconds of the first whistle, 'We want Glazers out' was echoing around the stadium, followed by an anti-Sir Jim Ratcliffe chant. Two minutes in, the singing turned back to Carrick.
The problem for Carrick was that the atmosphere was not sustained. Bournemouth racked up three corners in the first nine minutes, while United struggled to offer any threat in the final third. By the 17th minute, the crowd were reacting angrily to Senne Lammens for not releasing the ball sooner, although nobody wanted it off him either. It summed up the malaise within this United side.
Carrick was angry with the free-kick that led to the first goal, with Ayden Heaven penalised for tackling the ball. It looked like a ridiculous decision, but in an era of protecting players, it was always going to be given for the way the defender jumped in. Of more concern should have been the marking which left Rayan free at the back post to fire home.
Five minutes later came the knockout. Leny Yoro had the situation under control until a slip let Adrien Truffert in, and he squared for Marcus Tavernier to slide the ball home. United put a little more in during the second half but never looked like scoring. When Lammens raced out of his goal and was beaten to the ball by Evanilson, the game was up, and the mood turned from anger to mutiny.
The Glazers and Ratcliffe took more stick, with chants including 'You can stick your new stadium up your a**e' and an offensive chant directed at the under-pressure director of football, Jason Wilcox, who sat next to chief executive Omar Berrada in the directors' box.
What Next for United?
Carrick is the only person at this club the supporters have any respect for, but soon he will be gone. At full-time, he was serenaded as he led the lap of appreciation, but as soon as he vanished down the tunnel, the boos rained down on the players.
There will be a manager ready for the challenge of reviving Manchester United, but perhaps they should speak to Carrick before they do. This club looks fractured from top to bottom. 'You're going down with the City', chanted the Bournemouth fans. Stranger things have happened on the evidence of this season so far.
