You would be forgiven for wondering how much longer Michael Carrick will remain in the Manchester United dugout. A run of eight games without a win has left Carrick searching for answers, with the performances raising as many questions as the results. The energy and organisation of his interim spell last season has been replaced by a team struggling to find their identity.
Chelsea away is next on Saturday. Carrick needs to find solutions, and quickly. But what can he actually change?
One of the biggest problems facing Carrick is that Manchester United are making life too easy for their opponents. The intention to be more aggressive out of possession is understandable, but the execution has been off. United have repeatedly been pulled out of position, with gaps opening between the forward line and midfield that opponents have exploited to progress through the centre or find space out wide.
United are among the Premier League's most frequent users of a high block, employing it for 36 per cent of opposition build-up phases. Only Tottenham and Liverpool have used it more often, with Manchester City level with United. But pressing high is one thing, making it work is another.
United have won the ball high up the pitch 52 times this season, but only 10 of those occasions have led to a shot. They have yet to score from one. Defeats to Atletico Madrid and Como exposed those weaknesses.
United's attempts to press have lacked the coordination and intensity required to make the approach effective, leaving defenders exposed when the first line is bypassed. Bruno Fernandes questioned the decision not to press man to man against Como, arguing that opponents were being given too much time to build attacks. But the answer is not necessarily to press higher and harder.
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