Improve internal discipline
One of the final images of Michael Carrick’s time in charge will be of him standing in the rain on the Old Trafford touchline watching his side succumb to Bournemouth, while his sullen captain sat unused on the bench. Bruno Fernandes was dropped after calling out his head coach’s tactics, although Carrick said it was for football reasons. It was the second combustible television interview in as many Champions League games after Lisandro Martínez pointed the finger at the director of football, Jason Wilcox, for failing to provide a squad suitable for fighting on all fronts.
Fernandes was soon back in the fold, and Martínez apologised for his outburst, but it is clear internal discipline is an issue and will be central to getting the team back on track. United will always draw more attention than almost any other club in the world and creating a circus around a failing team merely complicates matters when there are already enough problems to sort out on the pitch. The players need to harness their anger to ensure they create headlines for performances, not interviews.
Work out the best back four
One player Jason Wilcox could claim as a recruitment success was Senne Lammens but the goalkeeper’s form has joined that of his teammates in the gutter. The Belgian endured a horror show for Bournemouth’s third goal when he rushed out of his area, and he made two errors in the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. Leny Yoro was another to make a terrible mistake against Bournemouth, while Diogo Dalot’s efforts as a makeshift left-back can be categorised as somewhere between woeful and inept. No team in Europe’s top five leagues have conceded more than United’s 30 in all competitions, which is clearly a worry.
Morale is at rock bottom but the chopping and changing in defence is creating more uncertainty. The new head coach should pick a back four and stick with it where possible. If Harry Maguire’s experience is deemed mandatory, he needs pace around him to make up for what he lacks. Luke Shaw’s absence has created a left-back tombola as Dalot, Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui have been placed there.
Settle on a central focal point
Benjamin Sesko’s injury has cost United a No 9 for most of the season and Joshua Zirkzee has rarely been trusted in the role. Matheus Cunha gave it a go as a false 9 and Bryan Mbeumo was tried as a more traditional centre-forward but without much success either. Cunha has become more productive in a deeper role behind the striker, cutting in from the left as he did at Wolves, but United require someone to be a classic No 9, someone who can occupy defenders and be serviced by deliveries from wide. Zirkzee, for his faults, has been a presence when used in recent weeks and scored against Aston Villa. If a new coach can rebuild his confidence, the Dutchman could provide a short-term solution. Alternatively, greater demands should be made of Marcus Rashford to play through the middle.
Put pressure on the hierarchy
A mix-and-match of expletives were aimed at those above Carrick at recent home games. Wilcox has taken most of the individual criticism, but the ownership were told in no uncertain terms to sell up. The Glazers have been instrumental in driving the club downwards in recent years and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment and involvement in football operations have yielded little success.
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Carrick was the face of the operation, as the new head coach will be, and he needs to put pressure on someone at the top to speak to the media to explain why the club is in such a mess because it is unfair to expect the coach to do so. United fans know the person in the dugout cannot take all the blame and someone else has to be publicly accountable.
Make demands on signings
Three central midfielders and a backup goalkeeper did not make for an inspiring summer when everyone knew United’s squad required improvement in numerous positions. Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans started together against Bournemouth and offered no evidence for why so much was spent on them.
Whoever comes in needs to be clear about what is required, whether in the winter or summer windows, because the deficiencies in the squad mean United cannot compete on all fronts and are struggling to cope with the rigours of the Premier League. A new left-back and striker are a given, but there is plenty more work to be done.
Create fast starts
Outrunning the opposition does not guarantee success but United have looked pedestrian on far too many occasions this season. This could explain the number of slow starts to games in recent times: in the Champions League against Atlético Madrid and Como they conceded in the first and second minute respectively, and were two down at home to Roma after 17 minutes last week. Worse still, Aston Villa, aided by errors, were two goals ahead within four minutes at Old Trafford, giving United a monumental task to turn things around. The players deserve credit for finding some fight to do so but need to make life easier for themselves because it does not take a genius to work out starting with a deficit is ill-advised. They will face a fiery atmosphere at Anfield, and that will be a fine place to show a shift in dynamic.
