Michael Carrick can secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season when Manchester United host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, but he must make three changes to his starting line-up.
United have made their worst start to a season for 40 years, yet Tuesday's comeback win against Roma in the Champions League has provided some much-needed confidence. Villa will be tough opponents, though they are winless in their last three matches, drawing with Fulham and losing 3-0 to both Barcelona and Bournemouth.
United need to build on the Roma victory to give Carrick a chance of transforming the club's fortunes. The United boss has been under immense pressure, and the November international break will be a chance for decision-makers to make a change if they feel that is the right choice after the Villa game.
Give Lacey a start
Shea Lacey has been underused since his goal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup in September. He opened the scoring in that game, but his moment was overshadowed by United throwing away a 2-0 lead.
The youngster was given five minutes against Como and 12 minutes against Bournemouth when both games were already dead, so it was reassuring to see Carrick send him on against Roma when United were chasing a way back into the contest. Lacey should be given his first Premier League start following that appearance.
Amad is not delivering enough in the final third - his last goal for the club was in December 2025 - so it is time to give the 19-year-old a chance. Lacey gets fans on the edge of their seats, and it was telling that he received a huge roar when he came on against Bournemouth and Roma.
Change the defence
Carrick is expected to stick with the same defensive line against Villa, but he should tweak the players' positions, as he is not getting the best out of the options at his disposal.
Leny Yoro has played at right-back, with Diogo Dalot on the opposite side, meaning Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven have started in the centre, but that selection caused issues against Bournemouth and Roma. Yoro is not a natural right-back and made a costly mistake in an area he would not usually be in against Bournemouth, slipping as he attempted to turn, while Dalot's performance against Roma reiterated that he is more comfortable on the right, his favoured position.
The best choice for the back four would be Heaven at left-back, Maguire and Yoro in the middle and Dalot at right-back.
Scrap the full-back tactic
United fans were bemused to see Dalot pushing so high against Roma. Their bemusement was vindicated when Roma scored twice down that side, but Dalot confirmed that it was an instruction from Carrick.
He spoke to reporters after the full-time whistle and was asked about his position. "Yes, obviously," he said when asked if he had been told to push high. "We knew that they were going to play man-to-man, but that requires some things that we need to avoid, especially losing balls in the middle, because we knew that we're going to be too open."
"But after, obviously, after the second goal, we tried to fix it straight away. I think we balanced a little bit more the game and kept ourselves in the game, and I think second half we came right at it and won the game."
Carrick scrapped the tactic after the second goal, but he balanced the issue by asking Yoro to push up high on the opposite side, which saw Roma find the same pockets of space on his side. The United boss needs to scrap the tactic, as it leaves far too much space for the opponent to attack, and it is a plan that will only work in a team that is possession-dominant, which United are not at this stage.
