Premier League · Leeds vs Man United · 2026-10-12 07:01 UTC
Michael Carrick remains under pressure as Manchester United endure their worst league start in 40 years.
Polymarket when the story was published: Leeds 39% · Draw 27% · Man United 36%
It is one of the harsh yet immutable realities of leadership: the attributes that get you a job will later be recast as reasons for it to be taken away. Strengths ossify, become weaknesses. The big wheel keeps on turning. Michael Carrick was everything Manchester United needed in January. Ruben Amorim, his predecessor, was hopelessly devoted to a system that wasn’t working; Carrick tore it up and simplified things. He understood the club and their necessities. Even his manner was a salve: compared to the jittery, neurotic Amorim, Carrick was equanimity made flesh. You can see where this is going. Nine months on, the nagging feeling with Carrick is that he lacks a little bite — that his Mr Normal routine might not, ultimately, work over the long term. After United’s 1-1 draw at home to 10-man Tottenham on Saturday, a result that felt like a defeat, Carrick appeared… moderately annoyed. “The reality is what it is,” he mumbled on BBC’s Match of the Day. He said he understood the fans at Old Trafford who booed his team. He declined the opportunity to criticise his players. All of which is fine. Carrick seems like a nice man. Context is important, however. United have won only twice this season, against promoted Ipswich Town and Champions League outsiders Sabah. This is now their worst start to a league season in four decades. Nor have results been misleading; United’s performances have been every bit as bad. Welcome to The Briefing, in which @jacklang answers some of the biggest questions to come out of the weekend. 🔗
Source: @TheAthleticFC on X