by Team Del Genio
Thursday, Oct 29, 2026Manchester United has hit a rock bottom that blue-blood franchises like them rarely encounter.
Going into their Sunday game at home against Bournemouth in the English Premier League, the Red Devils last played on Wednesday, when they lost on the road to Serie A upstarts Como by an embarrassing 4-1 score in the Champions League. They were winless in their previous seven games across all competitions, with four losses and three draws. For the 2026-2027 season, they had only two victories in eleven games, against Ipswich Town in the English Premier League and Sabah FK in the Champions League. It is fair to say that both teams are at the bottom of those leagues. With only seven points in the EPL, Man United were in 15th place, and just one point above relegation territory.
The team was not playing well, yet even worse is the morale of the team. Two weeks ago, Lisandro Martinez called out management for not spending enough money to fortify the roster in the summer during the transfer window. After the loss to Como this week, captain Bruno Fernandes called out manager Michael Carrick for his tactical decisions, comments that the embattled manager had to answer in his own press conference. It is the worst start for Man United in the English Premier League since the 1986-1987 season.
Now Carrick was returning to Old Trafford in what may be his final match with the club if the results remain below expectations. He may have lost the support of the locker room, and he had a difficult decision as to whether or not to even play Fernandes in this game after his act of subordination. Carrick may be in over his head. His previous management experience was with Middlesbrough in the second-tier Championship League before getting fired in the summer of 2025. He was named interim manager at Man United earlier this year, and the team played well enough for him to be offered a contract as the full-time manager. Yet the perception is that he got the job only because of his history as a player with the Red Devils during their glory years and that his coaching skills did not warrant the position.
From that end, he represents yet another reason for the players that management is unserious about making a commitment to investing in this franchise. A new interim manager seems imminent. These circumstances are far from ideal for a team that is a goal line favorite in this game.
Bournemouth was better than the six points they have accrued in the EPL. They had won three games in a row in all competitions after a 3-0 victory against AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday. They beat Sunderland, 2-0, in the EPL last Saturday. They had shut out each of their previous three opponents while scoring eight goals over that stretch. They have won all three of their games in the Europa League. Their three losses in the EPL were against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. They had earned draws with Everton, Newcastle United, and Brentford. As their domestic schedule eases up, the Cherries should compete for the top half of the table. The core of the squad that finished in sixth place in the EPL last year and qualified for European competition for manager Marco Rose remains this year. Marcus Tavernier had scored five times in his eleven games. Bournemouth would not be intimidated by playing at Old Trafford against this wounded blue blood either. In their previous six games against Man United, the Cherries were unbeaten with two victories and four draws.
Carrick did opt to bench Fernandes in this game, and it was interesting to see the Manchester United crowd enthusiastically applaud the manager. Yet the Red Devils gave up a goal in the 36th minute before Tavernier scored for the sixth time in his previous twelve games just before halftime. Bournemouth scored for a third time in the second half to secure a 3-0 victory on the road. The fans at Old Trafford targeted several Manchester United players to jeer for their effort and performance. Their message was that the manager was not the problem.
Man United management announced the next day that Carrick would remain their manager for the time being. It is hard to see what yet another caretaker manager would do to fix the problems with this organization. The ultimate blame probably lies with Director of Football Jason Wilcox, who made the decisions regarding the roster and the recent managers. If there is one thing that would unite the players and the fans once again, it would be his removal. Until that happens, it is difficult to see things getting much better for this fabled franchise.
Good luck - TDG.
Going into their Sunday game at home against Bournemouth in the English Premier League, the Red Devils last played on Wednesday, when they lost on the road to Serie A upstarts Como by an embarrassing 4-1 score in the Champions League. They were winless in their previous seven games across all competitions, with four losses and three draws. For the 2026-2027 season, they had only two victories in eleven games, against Ipswich Town in the English Premier League and Sabah FK in the Champions League. It is fair to say that both teams are at the bottom of those leagues. With only seven points in the EPL, Man United were in 15th place, and just one point above relegation territory.
The team was not playing well, yet even worse is the morale of the team. Two weeks ago, Lisandro Martinez called out management for not spending enough money to fortify the roster in the summer during the transfer window. After the loss to Como this week, captain Bruno Fernandes called out manager Michael Carrick for his tactical decisions, comments that the embattled manager had to answer in his own press conference. It is the worst start for Man United in the English Premier League since the 1986-1987 season.
Now Carrick was returning to Old Trafford in what may be his final match with the club if the results remain below expectations. He may have lost the support of the locker room, and he had a difficult decision as to whether or not to even play Fernandes in this game after his act of subordination. Carrick may be in over his head. His previous management experience was with Middlesbrough in the second-tier Championship League before getting fired in the summer of 2025. He was named interim manager at Man United earlier this year, and the team played well enough for him to be offered a contract as the full-time manager. Yet the perception is that he got the job only because of his history as a player with the Red Devils during their glory years and that his coaching skills did not warrant the position.
From that end, he represents yet another reason for the players that management is unserious about making a commitment to investing in this franchise. A new interim manager seems imminent. These circumstances are far from ideal for a team that is a goal line favorite in this game.
Bournemouth was better than the six points they have accrued in the EPL. They had won three games in a row in all competitions after a 3-0 victory against AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday. They beat Sunderland, 2-0, in the EPL last Saturday. They had shut out each of their previous three opponents while scoring eight goals over that stretch. They have won all three of their games in the Europa League. Their three losses in the EPL were against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. They had earned draws with Everton, Newcastle United, and Brentford. As their domestic schedule eases up, the Cherries should compete for the top half of the table. The core of the squad that finished in sixth place in the EPL last year and qualified for European competition for manager Marco Rose remains this year. Marcus Tavernier had scored five times in his eleven games. Bournemouth would not be intimidated by playing at Old Trafford against this wounded blue blood either. In their previous six games against Man United, the Cherries were unbeaten with two victories and four draws.
Carrick did opt to bench Fernandes in this game, and it was interesting to see the Manchester United crowd enthusiastically applaud the manager. Yet the Red Devils gave up a goal in the 36th minute before Tavernier scored for the sixth time in his previous twelve games just before halftime. Bournemouth scored for a third time in the second half to secure a 3-0 victory on the road. The fans at Old Trafford targeted several Manchester United players to jeer for their effort and performance. Their message was that the manager was not the problem.
Man United management announced the next day that Carrick would remain their manager for the time being. It is hard to see what yet another caretaker manager would do to fix the problems with this organization. The ultimate blame probably lies with Director of Football Jason Wilcox, who made the decisions regarding the roster and the recent managers. If there is one thing that would unite the players and the fans once again, it would be his removal. Until that happens, it is difficult to see things getting much better for this fabled franchise.
Good luck - TDG.
