Manchester United lost 2-0 at Chelsea on Saturday, 31 October, extending their winless run to nine games in all competitions, their longest since 1984. Lisandro Martinez was sent off at Stamford Bridge after two yellow cards, in only his second start since publicly criticising the club's hierarchy. Head coach Michael Carrick has said he expects to remain in charge for the Champions League match at home to Roma on Tuesday, but Sky Sports reports that the run puts the club at risk of dropping into the Premier League relegation zone before the next international break. The question for the board is whether this is a short-term slump or a sign that the problems run deeper than one coach.
The case that the situation is serious begins with the numbers and the way United lost. Nine games without a win is the longest streak in more than 40 years for a club that sees itself as a contender for trophies. Former United defender Gary Neville described the club as stuck in a rut, said it is now nine without a win, and called the situation a depression of results and a depression of performances. He also said the defence falls apart every time it is put under big pressure and that Martinez is at fault for a goal every time he watches him. The red card at Chelsea made a difficult night worse, and the dispute involving Martinez and the club's hierarchy suggests discipline and unity are also concerns, not only tactics.
The case for patience rests on the calendar and on how individual errors shaped the latest defeat. United's next two matches, against Roma in the Champions League and Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, 8 November, are both at home, which gives Carrick a chance to end the run in front of his own supporters. The sending-off at Chelsea came from two yellow cards for one player, which is a different problem from a team collapsing as a whole, and the scoreline was only 2-0 against one of the league's strongest sides. Replacing a head coach in the middle of a season also costs time and money, and the club's tough run of fixtures continues with Liverpool away on 22 November, a match few teams would expect to win.
What happens at Old Trafford matters for English football and for global commercial interests. United remain one of the most widely followed clubs in the world, and a long slump affects broadcasters, sponsors and supporters in dozens of countries who watch every match. It also tests how clubs balance patience with results at a time when owners and boards are quick to change coaches. Whatever the board decides, the next fortnight of fixtures, with Roma, Villa and then Liverpool, will shape the rest of the season.
Manchester United have a coach who expects to stay, a defence under pressure and a nine-game run without a win. Two home matches give Carrick a chance to change the story. If those games go wrong, the board's patience may not last until the trip to Anfield.
