Michael Carrick travels to Madrid on Tuesday with the loudest tactical argument of his short tenure already running in public. The call from the studios is for Carlos Baleba to start in central midfield and for Youri Tielemans to drop to the bench against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
The loudest voice is Henry Winter. Speaking on talkSPORT after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham, the former chief football writer of The Times argued that United’s midfield had been too open until Baleba came on, and that the balance only improved once the Cameroonian replaced one of the Belgians in the engine room.
“Baleba makes sense, I’m surprised he didn’t start,” Winter said. “He has to start. The defence hasn’t got much pace in it and he needs to be shielding that defence.”
“I still don’t understand why they need Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.”
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Winter also argued that Tielemans gets in the way of Bruno Fernandes, and that the money spent on him and Santos would have been better directed at a defender to replace Casemiro.
Carrick heard the boos at Old Trafford
The context is unforgiving. Saturday’s draw at home to a ten-man Spurs left United on six points from their opening six Premier League matches, their worst start to a season for 40 years.
Carrick said the boos at full time had “hurt” and admitted his side had not done enough to see out the lead.
Jason Cundy, the former Chelsea defender, said on the same talkSPORT panel that the head coach is “on the rack” and “in trouble”, pointing to a run that also includes a defeat by a ten-man Manchester City and a scramble to avoid losing at Fulham.
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The club’s position is calmer. INEOS has decided to stand by its head coach for now, with Graeme Bailey reporting that the message from Old Trafford is that Carrick is not under pressure and that the hierarchy do not believe the team has played badly.
A record United have never shaken
Madrid is not a happy hunting ground. Manchester United have played Atletico four times in European competition and have never won, losing on aggregate in the 1991-92 Cup Winners’ Cup and again in the 2022 Champions League round of 16, when Atletico won 1-0 at Old Trafford after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital.
Atletico themselves have been patchy. Simeone’s side lost their Champions League opener 1-2 to Liverpool, but have since won three in a row in La Liga and arrive in sharper form than their league-phase table position suggests.
The call Carrick must make
Carrick has not confirmed his XI. Manuel Ugarte is still out injured, Kobbie Mainoo is expected to keep his place, and Baleba is pushing for his first competitive Champions League start. Whether Tielemans retains his seat alongside them is the question Carrick must answer before kick-off at 8pm local time on Tuesday.
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