"Man Utd are in a vicious cycle!" | Jamie Carragher & Micah Richards discuss Man Utd problems

Sky Sports Premier League

Man Utd are stuck in a vicious cycle and Martinez's comments pile pressure on Carrick

The video focuses on the fallout from Lisandro Martinez's public comments and Manchester United's problems with spending, recruitment and midfield structure. Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards argue that Martinez's words only add pressure on Michael Carrick and the club, while United are stuck in a vicious cycle of heavy spending and failure.

► Subscribe to Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWPremierLeagueYT Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards discuss Manchester United's struggles and the pressure on Michael Carrick ahead of their game against Leeds. premierleague football manchesterunited ► Premier League highlights: https://bit.ly/PL2627HL ► MNF, FNF, SNF & Super Sunday analysis: https://bit.ly/SkyMatchAnalysis ► Gary Neville Podcast: https://bit.ly/GaryNevillePodcast ► Saturday Social: https://bit.ly/SkySaturdaySocial ► Buy this season’s shirts: https://bit.ly/SkySportsShop More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkySportsFootball ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysportsfootball ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsfootball ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsPL ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage

Transcript

Manchester United fans will well remember it was at Ellen Road 10 months ago when the wheels came off for Ruben Amar. Not necessarily what happened on the pitch, but what he said in the press conference after the game calling out the United hierarchy. And fast forward to this week and the same thing has happened, but this time it's a player Landro Martinez after their defeats in Madrid. He said the club needed to do more. The technical director needed to do more in the summer transfer window. He has subsequently apologized and we are told he is available for selection today. So Jamie, is all of that been a help or a hindrance to Michael Carrick? Oh, a hindrance. I mean, there would have been huge focus on Manchester United going into this game anyway because of the start of the season they made in midweek. Obviously, they've lost another game, but this has certainly ramped it up. What it's also done is made people forget Yeah, but it's made people forget how well United did midweek. Poor results of course but considering conceding the goal so early they actually play quite well Manchester United in the game but what will happen here today is and this is a really tough game for lead been fantastic for a long time in the Premier League if Man United lose today on the back of what's been said midweek this will really ramp up to levels that Michael Carrick probably has never had before as a manager or as a player and Michael Carrick made a statement in his press conference where he said it's not about I need the result. Manchester United need read the results and the club is always bigger than any individual. But if Manchester United lose today, the talk around the manager and the focus on the manager will will go to new levels. >> Two wins all season, one against Ipswich, one against Asabani. Opposition in the Champions League mic, of course it's not good enough. But is there a school of thought that Martin is actually saying what all the fans have been saying as well that the club haven't backed Michael Carrick enough after such a strong end to last season? Oh, just looking on that, just one one clean sheet is is not good. If you go back to to Michael Carrick, obviously when a when a team finishes third, you do want that backing. And it's it's a difficult one because I feel as though he has had the backing, but maybe not in the right areas. I think it's more quantity than than quality. And if you go back to the interview with Martinez, I actually think a lot of the fans would have liked that to know what's going on. We've been saying for for years now, something's not right at Man United. when you come out and a player come out and says that you think okay maybe something is not right but the fact to do that to your teammates I don't think he was right doing that because he's not being outstanding this season actually he's been one of the the players that have cost him a lot of goals so I I do admire his honesty but actually you've got to put it out on on the pitch and all that brings now is more scrutiny to Man United when you talk about Man United whoever is on the games whatever pundit whatever you say goes massive because they're the biggest club in England whether people like to hear that or not. So all he's doing now is bringing more pressure to not only him to the club and it's more noise that they don't need right now. >> That's an interesting point, Micah. So if they are the biggest club in England, then then should they actually be top when we're talking about spending charts because look where we find Manchester United here, 10th in terms of their total spend and this is who they're up against this season. and the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea spending way over £300 million. Even promoted sides Ipsswitch and Hull City spending more in the summer than Manchester United. Is that a problem? I don't think any anyone at Manchester United can complain about what the money is spent. I mean, you can do this graphic now, but how far back do you want to go? Do you want to go back from Ferguson? Do you want to go do it from when Martinez joined the club? Manchester United would normally be top of this list and have been for a long time. And I just think when you're a club continually spending big money, those players are continually failing, you're not getting into the Champions League as well, you've got one of the biggest wage bills. Eventually, you can't be the biggest spenders every season when you're not being successful. >> Liverpool and Manchester City over the last few years have consistently be, you know, won the trophies and being in the Champions League and then have big spending sprees and wage bills. eventually Manchester United the money the money will always be there cuz they are one of the biggest football clubs in the world but it just can't be a tap that never gets turned off. It just can't. And then you talk about net spend and you talk about well they don't get players out. It's difficult to get players out when they continually fail at the club. Then they're on big wages and you can't move them on and no one will take them and it's just a vicious circle that they're in. And eventually it gets to a stage where you can't beat the biggest spenders and maybe that that was this summer. >> But how but but You you say that Carrick um about you say that Jamie and we talk about Carrick if he finished third last season and you feel as though there's a little bit of spine behind this team and instead of buying two or three players maybe just buy one player I know there was linked with Ellison and obviously he went to Man City but how would he supposed to move forward if now they're competing with you've seen the numbers here right in front of us and for Man United to get back to where they want to be? Well, I think when you talk if you talk about the midfield that that's where they bought >> three signings in the midfield. >> For me, I think it was one too many. >> Just raise this Jamie for you as well. The minutes played by summer signings in these early stage of the Premier League and Manchester United did a rock bottom and 577 minutes. I think 463 are Tielemans and then we've seen a little bit of Santos only one start and Bour hasn't started yet. Maybe today. >> Yeah. Well, it's early in the season that that will change but it's not ideal when you're a manager and you can't get your signings onto the pitch. I agree a little bit what Mike is saying there when they obviously they lost midfield players got injured Casemiro moved on but when I think for me I'd have bought one less and maybe gone a little bit bigger and maybe gone for Fernand to Micah's point quality rather than quantity >> yeah it just look it feels to me like they've got three decent players three good players is that enough to make Manchester United go up another level m maybe not believer okay he's a young player can he go to another level eventually you know we'll see but in terms of Santos and Tielemans that's not going to move the dial at Manchester United. >> This then the United formation, the big talking point of course, Lisandro Martinez, is that the right call from Michael Carrick? >> Yeah, I think he's the right call because I think he's uh United's probably best defender when he we've talked about his interview before. Of course, your emotions after the game, you're going to say some things maybe that you mean or you don't mean, but in terms of how he wants to play, he's good on the ball. He's obviously very aggressive and he's been good when he's played well for Man United. He's just going through that little bit of bad form at the moment. So, I'm not surprised that is starting today. >> Jamie, midfield three, Belaba, Santos, Tielemans, the three new signings that we talked about playing to starting together in the Premier League for uh the first time. Were there signs in Madrid, albeit in defeat that there is something there with these three starting together, the right balance? >> They they definitely had a decent performance or a good performance I would say in in Madrid. Created, you know, plenty of chances on another day. Definitely take something from the game. The problem when you put three midfield players in there is what you do at your best player, Fernandez. Now, we've got him out out wide left. In Madrid, he was actually out wide right as well, and he's trying to get into pockets. And we see lots of teams do that now. You can't always just play with two wingers. But if you're going to play with three midfield players, you're almost shoehorning in your best player as well. So again, that can maybe cause a problem going forward. He won't be happy playing in a wide position. But >> the key is though, what are they trying to do? You know, when you set up your team, why were Man United successful last season? because there was in a low block and there was good on transition. Now obviously they're trying to develop. They're trying to be a better team on on the front foot and try and have all these rotations. But what what's happening when they do that? Leaving big massive gaps in the middle. There's no point BA running out and pressing if the rest of the midfield don't come with him as well. They need to work as a collective. And I think that's Man United's biggest problem that the games I've watched certainly this season. >> There has been a question about the dynamism of Manchester United's midfield. It's a point that that Gary Neville has talked about a lot. We've got the high-speed distance and pressures of all Premier League midfielders these this season. You can see highlighted Kobe Mayu who's not involved today because of injury and Tielemans. These two have started the majority of games for Manchester United. Actually of interest, Elliot Anderson is also around this kind of area in terms of the number of pressures that he's made and also the high-speed distance that he's covered. I'll I'll pick one or two out uh one or two others out just for context. Right over here is Declan Rice. So that might surprise one or two people. Some see say he's been um short of energy this season. Up here you've got Florian Vert. He has made the most high speed distance and pressures this season. And you've got Kieran Juby Hall of Everton over here as well. And they're probably more number 10s that you would you would associate with going and leading the press. Can Believer bring a bit more intensity to that Manchester United midfield that that perhaps they have been lacking with that as a pair? >> I I I would say yes. I mean, he's he's an excellent player. Obviously, he's had the the injury, but when you want someone in this position, you want him to go, but you want the rest of the team to go with you also. And being aggressive on the front foot, you see when he wins it, there's numbers around him. And it just gives the rest of the team a little bit of of confidence knowing that when he goes in there, we can all go together. Watch Man United of late is it's sort of like Fernandez has been going and the two behind whether it be Teenlands and and Mayo at times don't know what they need to do, but having someone like this and could do stuff like that is just obviously is going to make your team better, but they need to work as a collective. There's no point him doing it on his own and the rest of the team not following and engaging with him. >> I'm not sure anyone else could do that either. Well, I used to be able to do that. I used to. >> I think I think the important thing with him is and and Manchester United fans don't want to wait any longer. They they want things right now. I understand that. But you got to remember he had a really tough season last season at Brighton. Now, if you're getting the believer that was playing for Brighton two or three seasons ago, that's the believer you want, not the one that was playing for Brighton last year, had a really tough season. I think he was taken off four or five times at Halime when things weren't going for him straight away. So the idea that as soon as he comes back in everything's going to change I think you know you got to be careful. He's still a young man as I said didn't have a great season last season but there's definitely a player there. >> Michael rais the point what does this Manchester United want to be looking at that team today. What do you think the plan might be? >> Well normally they play two midfield plays with with a number 10 Bruno Fernandez there. This is obviously taken a step back a little bit in terms of how they're going about the game. They did that in in Europe in midweek. When you think about how they've set up, normally you say that's more of a defensive setup, but actually when you watch them in Madrid, we covered the game. It was a high press, pressing really high, which I think wasn't wasn't right. And they got caught out early on as well. Uh so it's trying to look at two big away games away in Madrid lost the first and now they're going away to lead with a maybe a little bit more of a solidity and maybe what Micah mentioned in terms of can you get on the counterattack Ahmad and then Bumo especially but normally they play one other attack and I would say with pace obvious problems Malo on this left hand side no Shaw no Doom as Rai is coming back to fitness who can play either side at right back this is the thing if if they do set up like we think they got Tielemans as a number 10. Yes, at Villa. He's done that before. But you got Yuro who's a center at playing right back and Dalo who's a right back playing left back. Again, it seems like square pegs, round holes, but maybe that's what they have to do until they get a bit of consistency.