A look at the Premier League table shows why Carrick is right not to get carried away.
If results go against them, Manchester United could be bottom of the table when they kick off against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Neither Mourinho nor Solskjaer were able to follow up their 3-2 success with another victory. Mourinho’s United drew at Chelsea, then lost at home to Juventus. Solskjaer’s United were embarrassed by Liverpool. This meant that neither man was able to build on the momentum generated by their epic victories.
This is Carrick’s challenge.
United have gone seven Premier League matches without a win. They went eight under Ruben Amorim at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, but draws and defeats were divided by wins en route to the Europa League final, so the effect was not as great as it now appears.
The club has an exceptional home record against Villa. They have won their last six matches in all competitions and have lost just two league matches against the Midlands side at Old Trafford since 1983.
When United sources finally announced – almost 48 hours after the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on October 25 – that Carrick and his players would have the chance to turn things around, no timetable was set. However, the feeling was that the next international break would be an appropriate time for the club’s hierarchy to take stock and decide which direction they should go.
Since then, in both matches, Carrick’s side have been excellent over two halves.
Victory against Villa, even with £70million Carlos Baleba joining the injury list, would move them to within two points of Unai Emery’s side ahead of a tough run of fixtures after the international break, starting with Liverpool but also including trips to Newcastle and Arsenal in December. Considering he beat Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two games as caretaker manager.
The defeat will likely put them in the relegation zone for at least a fortnight and face severe baiting at Anfield on November 22.
“It’s not about me,” is a phrase Carrick often repeated as he assessed the damage of another poor result. The result against Roma was much more positive.
There is no indication that Carrick’s future has been decided yet. What happens at Old Trafford this weekend seems very important.
Gn sports
