Paul Merson is back with his latest Sky Sports column with a damning condemnation of Manchester United's recent form and a grim prediction for their upcoming prospects. United were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea on Saturday as they dropped to fourth-bottom of the Premier League, having gone almost two months without a win in all competitions and beating only Ipswich in the league this season. Goal difference is all which currently separates them from the relegation zone ahead of Crystal Palace - but Merson believes things will get worse before they get better for Carrick and his side.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The first half at Chelsea was alright and then they shot themselves in the foot. What can Michael Carrick do about that? It doesn't matter who's sat on the bench, you could have Carlo Ancelotti, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson in the dugout, and you're not winning a football match.
The problem is the fans love Carrick. The people above, if they're making decisions, they've got to be careful. Then the fans go against them - they can see it's not really Carrick, is it?
Do the people making the decisions upstairs want the fans to turn on them? When that happens, they'll have to go because they'll be under scrutiny. They're not at the moment, because they're keeping the manager.
On December 5, they play Coventry. I'd be shocked if they're not in the bottom three by then. That'll be about a third of the season gone then.
They might go and get a big result, Villa looked beatable the other day. I don't see them getting relegated, absolutely not. But this is not Manchester United.
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