The crisis at Manchester United is all but over. Seven games without a win, 13th in the Premier League and fresh off a 4-1 hammering by UCL debutants, Como. Every United fan is asking the same thing: who is at fault? Is it Michael Carrick? Or should we blame Jason Wilcox like Lisandro Martinez pointed out?
There is evidence to show who should take the blame and we have our verdict as well.
Michael Carrick: Interim Head Coach vs Permanent Head Coach Numbers
The strangest part of this United decline is how fast it happened. No change. It is the same man yet different results.
| 2025-26 (Jan to May) | 2026-27 (so far) | |
| Role | Interim head coach | Permanent head coach |
| Record | 11 wins in 16 games | 2 wins all season |
| League position | Climbed from 7th to 3rd | 13th |
| Big result | Champions League qualification | 4-1 loss at Como |
If Carrick got that much out of the squad last season, why can’t he do it now? He only lost Casemiro and has Tielemans, Santos, and Baleba – that’s 3 for one.
Where Carrick is Failing
Passive tactics
Against Como, you did not need to be a football fan to know that United weren’t “marking” which Fernandes and Carrick clearly admitted. They let the Italians control the game and this led to them conceding in the second minute.
Strange team selections
Bruno Fernandes was played as a makeshift number nine. He struggled, looked frustrated and was hooked at the 67th minute. In his interim regime, he played Cunha as a LW, Mbeumo as the false nine, and Amad at RW. In two consecutive matches, he kept Cunha on the bench and played either Mount or Rashford at LW.
Dressing room tension
After the match, Fernandes questioned the game plan on TV telling journalists that the team should have been braver and pressed higher.
Carrick fired back stating that the captain’s account was not accurate while citing that United “half-pressed” in the second half which led to a goal. He also had a heated exchange with Matheus Cunha on the touchline.
There are reports from insiders that Carrick’s training methods are below standard with senior figures at the club unsure if he is capable of taking the team forward tactically.
It is not all Carrick, but Wilcox as Well
United’s summer budget went heavily on midfielders. They signed Youri Tielemans for £35m, Andrey Santos for £50m and Carlos Baleba for £70m and got a goalkeeper who was a free agent Karl Darlow.
Signing Tielemans and Baleba were good calls but a LB instead of Santos would have been better.
During the transfer window, the only senior left back at the club was Luke Shaw who in recent seasons was not one to count on. Dorgu on the other hand seemed to thrive better in advanced positions on the field of play. Rightly, the board said they would be signing a LB along with midfielders and a striker.
They took signing midfielders seriously and failed to sign in other important positions.
Even players can attest to that wrong call.
After the 2-0 loss at Atletico, Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised Wilcox’s transfer work. Sky Sports described the comments as very personal and aimed directly at the director of football.
What is our verdict?
Wilcox created the problem and Carrick has not managed it well.
A director of football spending over £150m and leaving two key positions empty deserves heavy criticism. Today, we are seeing those gaps hurting United badly.
Notwithstanding, a team that has Fernandes, Cunha, Baleba and Tielemans should not be outplayed by a club like Como. Tactics, team selection, and in-game management falls within the control of the manager and Carrick has come up short in those three.
The club has publicly backed Wilcox but we can’t say that Carrick has such protection. There are rumours that the International Break would give the team time to scout a replacement with Hurzeler already turning them down but Nagelsmann and Conte are open to the job.
What This Means for Man Utd vs Bournemouth
United are hosting Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday, October 25 and Carrick is still the man calling the shots. He needs to turn things around and the squad would want to do so too.
But with confidence levels low, a defense that’s out of sorts, and an attacking unit that has scored just one in the last three matches, Bournemouth could take the initiative and incur more woes on United.
Giving how open the game will be, over 2.5 and both teams to score are options worth trying.
