Manchester Evening News: Man Utd fell apart in six months, Carrick's rift with team emerged long ago

The Manchester Evening News analyzed Manchester United's predicament, writing: "Remember when there was an optimistic atmosphere at Old Trafford? I don't either."

No club is as adept at creating a crisis as Manchester United, but the events of the past six months have still been breathtaking. Recall May 26th this year: Carrick's contract ink was barely dry, Bruno Fernandes had just broken the Premier League single-season assist record, Manchester United finished third in the Premier League, Champions League qualification was back on the agenda, and a seemingly promising transfer window was just around the corner. Some fans even began quietly mentioning the "Project 150".

Less than six months later, Carrick is on the verge of being sacked; Bruno Fernandes has just returned to the squad after being dropped for criticizing the manager, and Manchester United have fallen into the relegation zone. There's even a possibility they could drop out of the top 24 in the 36-team Champions League group stage. There's no fit senior left-back in the squad, nor a fit center-forward (Zirkzee is certainly not a center-forward), and their chances of winning the Championship seem higher than winning the Premier League in 2028.

Even by Manchester United's own standards, the past six months have been outrageously absurd.

But how did all this collapse so quickly? Here are eight steps that have pushed Carrick to the brink of being sacked.

In hindsight, cracks were visible early in Carrick's tenure.

One prerequisite for Manchester United's strong finish last season was that they hardly had to play outside of the Premier League, with midweek fixtures almost always free from January onwards. However, with the Champions League returning to Old Trafford this season, everything has changed: Carrick can no longer navigate Tuesday and Wednesday nights easily, and there's less time on the training ground. So, what kind of report card will he deliver? Judging by last season's midweek performances, the outlook is not optimistic.

In his first nine games in charge, Carrick dropped points in only two matches: a 1-1 draw with West Ham and a 1-2 loss to Newcastle United. Both were midweek games, for which Carrick did not have a full week to prepare.

With Manchester United set to play around 20 more games on top of the 40 for the 2025/26 season, early warning bells are already ringing.

In most people's eyes, this point was the most crucial trigger.

This transfer window was abysmal. Rebuilding only one area of the squad each summer is a naive transfer strategy, and Manchester United clearly needed more than just a midfield overhaul this summer.

It's inexcusable that Manchester United didn't sign a striker when Benjamin Šeško was playing injured and Zirkzee described himself as "more of a 9.5 than a 9" and was the only other option in the squad. Similarly, Luke Shaw's injury woes meant Manchester United didn't buy a backup left-back, which was always a gamble. On transfer deadline day, inquiries were made about a loan for Rayan Aït-Nouri, but Manchester City insisted on a mandatory buy-option clause, and the transfer ultimately fell through.

By the 15th game of the season, Luke Shaw had missed 10 of those 15 games due to injury, and Benjamin Šeško won't make his first Premier League start of the season until January at the earliest. Who could have predicted that?

"Facing two newly promoted teams in the first two rounds, an easy six points to start!" Don't pretend, you must have said it, or at least thought it.

Hull City would naturally give their all at home against Manchester United in their first early kick-off since returning to the division this season, but what was truly alarming was Manchester United's own performance. Mediocre, lifeless, sluggish, and simply not good enough.

Was this a temporary dip at the start of the season, or the beginning of an even worse situation?

Recently, fans seem to have grown accustomed to reading about Manchester United's long-standing records being broken.

The League Cup loss to Brighton & Hove Albion was particularly painful. Early goals from Shea Lacey and Mount had Manchester United on course for an inspiring victory, but then everything went wrong.

Of course, losing to a strong team like Brighton & Hove Albion isn't overly concerning, but no team should be 2-0 down at Old Trafford within 10 minutes and ultimately surrender the win.

Losing away to Atletico Madrid isn't shameful, and Manchester United played quite well in that game. We should have flown home with our heads held high, ready for the next match. Oh, wait, that's assuming Lisandro Martinez hadn't publicly told the manager that he was doing a terrible job.

Lisandro Martinez lost his temper criticizing Jason Wilcox, which was the last thing Carrick wanted to see. In fact, the defender's intention was to speak up for Carrick, but by saying that, he also told the world that the Manchester United dressing room was not calm, and the problems were far more complex than just a few poor performances.

For someone who tried his best to defuse tension and maintain a united front in front of the cameras, Carrick really didn't need this.

Carrick should have been relieved of his duties after losing to Como and AFC Bournemouth.

After two consecutive defeats by a three-goal margin, Carrick was already on the brink, yet he somehow managed to get a temporary reprieve. Even with "support" from above, it's clear Carrick is a dead man walking, liable to be shown the door at any moment. This was another poor decision by the INEOS hierarchy.

Midway through that very week, Bruno Fernandes publicly criticized Carrick's tactics.

"It's a decision from the coaching staff. They didn't go for one-on-one pressing, sometimes leaving a bit of space behind, trying to win the ball back straight away, waiting for the opponent, giving them the ball," Bruno Fernandes said after the loss to Como.

Carrick retorted in the post-match press conference: "In the second half, we only did half of the man-marking press, and the result was that the opponent took advantage and scored. Whatever tactics you play, if you don't track back, you won't win."

Manchester United's star player was dropped for the game against AFC Bournemouth. The situation began to spiral out of control.

Now we've reached a point where Manchester United putting in a "decent" performance in a 2-0 loss to Chelsea is hailed as some kind of success.

Manchester United showed a lot of resilience against Roma and Aston Villa, completing comebacks, but the problem is that they had to come back because their defense was terrible in the early stages of those games, which has been a microcosm of Manchester United's entire season.

No team can win a title or qualify for the Champions League by falling behind and chasing every week. Manchester United look like an untutored side, lacking a clear system on the pitch, relying only on fighting spirit and emotion to pull themselves out of trouble.

Building a successful team requires more than just grit and character. Carrick will always be a Manchester United legend, but he needs to go.