The midway point of the Champions League phase is upon us, and already the pressure is beginning to build on some of the biggest clubs in Europe. For some -- the likes of Bayern Munich, Inter and Manchester City -- the coming days will be about scrabbling back up the table and establishing a grip on one of the coveted top eight berths. Altogether more significant are those teams who might have to legitimately worry about whether they can reach the top 24.
On current form Manchester United are certainly among them, and their home game against Roma threatens to be critical for the club's Champions League prospects. Perhaps the future of their manager too. A little over a week ago it seemed only logical to log the remainder of Michael Carrick's time as Manchester United manager in hours.
Back-to-back defeats to Como and Bournemouth, each by a three-goal margin, had the club hovering around the drop zone in both the Premier League and Champions League standings. Club captain Bruno Fernandes had openly questioned Carrick's tactics, fostering a greater sense of mutiny in the aftermath of center back Lisandro Martinez turning both barrels on those in charge of appointing the manager and signing players. Remarkably, Carrick endured, part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the rest of the hierarchy concluding that the manager, who had led United to third last season, deserved time to right this listing ship.
In many ways, events on Saturday vindicated that assessment. At Stamford Bridge the Red Devils had much the better of the first half, a coiled spring ready to blitz Chelsea on the counter. The only slight problem, one obviously out of Carrick's control, was that they did not put the ball in the net.
Then the United midfield whooshed open like the doors of the Starship Enterprise to let Morgan Rogers score the opener, and everything adequate was undone in a 14-minute, Lisandro Martinez-authored head loss. You can't really hold the manager responsible for that, not when so many coaches have tried and failed to quell United's appetite for self-destruction. Then again, it's not like you can sack the players midway through the season.
If the situation gets perilous, there's not much you can do but start afresh in the dugout and hope against reason that Eddie Howe (or whoever else) can get through to this squad in a way his predecessors couldn't. Right now you'd doubt that Manchester United are on the cusp of existential peril -- relegation to the Championship seems a long shot -- but they are at risk of being a few million worse off from their European campaign. Lose at home to Roma and they would have three points with half the league phase played.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
