Why Their Slow Start Is Raising Questions Again
Five points from five games. Joint-worst start in Premier League history. Already ten points behind Manchester City. And the fixture list was supposed to be kind.
Manchester United’s 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday wasn’t just a frustrating result. It was a confirmation of a pattern that has now stretched across seven games in all competitions: two wins, three losses, and a growing sense that the optimism that greeted Michael Carrick’s appointment has evaporated.
The numbers are damning. Five points from five league games matches United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season — the same tally they managed in 2014-15 under Louis van Gaal. Only newly-promoted Ipswich Town have been beaten in the league. Hull City, Everton, Manchester City, and now Fulham have all taken points off a side that finished third last season.
This isn’t a blip. It’s a crisis — and the questions are mounting.
The Results: A Kind Fixture List Wasted
United’s opening fixtures were widely considered among the most favourable in the division. Instead of capitalising, they’ve stumbled.
A 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Hull City on the opening weekend set the tone. A 5-2 thrashing of Ipswich at Old Trafford offered brief hope, but it’s proven to be the exception rather than the rule. A 2-2 draw with Everton followed, then a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City — a game in which City played 23 minutes with ten men. Then came the Carabao Cup humiliation: Brighton became the first side in 50 years to come from two goals down to win at Old Trafford.
The Fulham draw was supposed to be a reset. Instead, it was more of the same. United went behind to a Lisandro Martínez own goal in the 58th minute and needed an 89th-minute equaliser from Matheus Cunha to salvage a point against the team that sat bottom of the Premier League at kick-off.
The Numbers Behind the Collapse
The statistics paint a picture of a team that is creating chances but failing to take them — and, more concerningly, failing to do the basics.
United have fired 29 shots at Craven Cottage, their second-most in any away Premier League game on record. But they only hit the target with six of those attempts — the same number as Fulham managed. Their expected goals (xG) total for the season stands at 10.59, but they’ve scored just eight goals. The chances are there. The finishing isn’t.
More troubling is the physical data. Against Fulham, United’s players covered six kilometres less than their opponents. According to Opta, they are the team that has run the least distance in the Premier League this season. When you’re losing the physical battle every week, no amount of tactical sophistication will save you.
The Manager Under Fire
Michael Carrick’s position is not yet under threat — at least not from the board. But the noise around him is growing.
Carrick has dismissed suggestions he’s under pressure as “ridiculous,” insisting it would be “two or three games” that determine his future. “It’s not a catastrophe or a disaster,” he said. “It’s not the end of the world”.
But the performances suggest otherwise. Gary Neville described United’s display at Fulham as “pathetic,” comparing their players to “mannequins” when out of possession. Carrick’s decision to withdraw Kobbie Mainoo was met with boos from United’s travelling fans. The odds on Carrick losing his job before Christmas have been slashed.
The comparisons to Ruben Amorim’s troubled start last season are uncomfortable. Seven games in, both managers had won two and lost three. United sat 14th under Amorim at this stage; they sit 12th under Carrick.
The Squad Problem: Short in Defence, Blunt in Attack
The inquests have focused on recruitment — and with good reason.
United spent £155 million rebuilding their midfield, signing Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, and Carlos Baleba. But they failed to sign a left-back, leaving the injury-prone Luke Shaw as their only senior option in that position. They also didn’t sign a central defender, despite conceding six goals in their first three games.
In attack, the problems are just as stark. United have created chances but lack the cutting edge to convert them. Harry Maguire acknowledged as much after the Fulham draw: “We have got to take our chances and take our moments”.
The Psychological Weight of Playing for United
There’s a reason these slow starts keep happening. Manchester United is not a normal football club. Every dropped point is magnified. Every poor performance is dissected. Every managerial decision is questioned.
Carrick understands this better than most. “The measure of the noise around a club of United’s size is that it often feels [like a catastrophe],” he said. “I get all that”.
But understanding the pressure doesn’t make it easier to manage. The players look tense. The crowd is restless. The confidence that carried United to a third-place finish last season has been replaced by anxiety.
What Comes Next
United now face a three-week international break before hosting bottom club Tottenham on October 10. It’s a fixture that should, on paper, be a chance to reset. But after the start they’ve had, nothing is guaranteed.
Carrick’s message to fans is simple: don’t give up. “It’s still a big season ahead,” he said. “It’s a long season, you’re going to have spells through a season. That’s part of the journey”.
He’s not wrong. Five games is not a season. But the warning signs are flashing red. The physical data is alarming. The attacking efficiency is poor. The defensive depth is thin. And the manager, for all his composure, is under mounting scrutiny.
United have been here before — the 2014-15 season that also started with five points from five games ended with a fourth-place finish and Louis van Gaal keeping his job. But that team had proven winners in the squad. This one, for all its promise, is still searching for its identity.
The international break offers a chance to regroup. The Tottenham game offers a chance to rebuild. Whether United take either opportunity will determine whether this is a slow start or something much worse.
