Manchester United are in 18th place as the Premier League heads into a two-week international break. The start – Manchester United’s worst since 1986 – is unthinkable for one of the richest and most popular clubs in the world. Just last season it finished third behind Arsenal and Manchester City and showed signs of competing for a title in the near future.
Now it’s okay. Much of the blame has been placed on manager Michael Carrick, who is expected to be relieved of his duties as soon as this week.
The worst problems are defensive, as United have conceded 19 goals in the Premier League. That’s the same figure as newly promoted side Coventry City, whose squad costs around a third as much as United’s. Injuries and lack of roster depth have forced the team to draw different combinations of players from game to game. Fans have bemoaned the club’s decision not to sign any new defenders over the summer.
Critics also pointed to one of the easiest parts of the game – running. Per Gradient Sports data, Manchester United is 19th out of 20 in the league in both distance covered and average maximum speed. Stats like that never tell the whole story, but covering the ground is essential to winning the ball effectively.
The situation has gotten so bad that even star midfielder Bruno Fernandes called out his team after a 4-1 loss in Como, Italy last month in the UEFA Champions League.
“It’s not the first time we started on the wrong foot and they scored very early,” said Fernandes, who was benched the next game for his comments. “Not a lot of pressure on the ball, not really a lot of good moves without the ball, not a lot of things going our way.”
But while Carrick has received criticism, many fans don’t seem ready to completely turn on their manager, continuing to sing his name after recent defeats. After all, Carrick was a much-loved player for Manchester United, manning the proverbial engine room in midfield in the late 2000s – one of the most successful stretches in the club’s history.
The supporters’ anxiety seems to be caused more by the players and owners. During the draw with Villa, the fans chanted “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” at the 11 men on the pitch. Last week against AS Roma, fans released thousands of green and gold balloons – the colors the club wore when it was founded in 1878 before switching to red in 1902 – in protest of the Glazer family, who own a majority interest in the club.
The balloons were back at the Aston Villa match on Sunday. Fans also carried signs that read “We don’t want a new stadium, we want new owners,” and “Your funeral, not ours. Selling.” The escalating protests come just a week after Gary Neville, a former United player and one of the sport’s most prominent pundits, called on the Glazers to sell their stake.
Recent comments from co-owner Avram Glazer have added fuel to the fire that the family doesn’t mind winning as long as its assets remain profitable.
Last week, an anonymous source at a September Deutsche Bank investment conference told The Athletic that Glazer said Manchester United could be commercially powerful without success on the pitch. The report said that Glazer compared his club to American franchises such as the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys, who have not won a Super Bowl for 30 years and counting.
Regardless of the success on the field, you can’t deny that the Glazers have overseen massive investments in the team.