Manchester United is falling into an inexplicable paradox: spending a lot of money on the rebuilding process but the squad still has gaps. The 1-1 draw against Fulham once again shows that the problem is not in a separate position, but in how they are gradually rebuilding the team.
Through many transfer windows, Man United often has to prioritize solving each area instead of upgrading many positions at the same time. Last summer, the attack was put first. The most recent transfer window focused more on the midfield. Meanwhile, options for the full-back position have not yet brought the necessary peace of mind.
As a result, Man United still does not have a truly balanced squad.
At Craven Cottage, that instability is obvious. Fulham is not the team that creates absolute dominance, but Man United has difficulty controlling the midfield area. Sander Berge and Shea Charles have many spaces to deploy the ball, while Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans do not create connection.
Man United's goal conceded further showed confusion. After Matheus Cunha could not win the ball in a challenge with Calvin Bassey, the Fulham center-back boldly pushed up. The subsequent shot was blocked by Senne Lammens, but Lisandro Martinez accidentally kicked the ball into his own net.
That was a regrettable goal conceded, but the bigger problem lies in the way Man United let Fulham put the ball to the edge of the penalty area too easily.
Gary Neville criticized Man United's performance in the period before the goal conceded. According to this former defender, the away team lacked decisiveness in the tackles and did not create enough pressure on the opponent.
Carrick has a different view when saying that the "Red Devils" controlled most of the first half. However, Cunha himself also admitted that Fulham played more actively in the early part of the second half. The difference between the two assessments shows that Man United has not yet created a convincing enough game to control the match as desired.
The midfield is one of the most noteworthy issues. Man United spent money to add Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, while waiting for Carlos Baleba to return after injury. But on the field, they still lack a player who can pull the pace of the match and make a difference when the game becomes deadlocked.
This is even more noteworthy when direct rivals are also constantly upgrading the midfield. Manchester City has spent heavily to strengthen this area, while Arsenal added Bruno Guimaraes. Man United has also invested, but the effectiveness has not been clearly shown on the field.
The attack is also not much better. Benjamin Sesko's absence due to injury makes Carrick lack a true center forward. Cunha is not really comfortable playing number 9, Rashford continues to play unstably and Bryan Mbeumo has not maintained regularity.
Man United still has moments that create opportunities. Bruno Fernandes once sent the ball to the post, Cunha had a shot that hit the crossbar, and Rashford missed two chances. But individual situations cannot hide the instability of the entire attacking system.
Carrick is currently under pressure as Man United only has 5 points after 5 rounds and has been eliminated from the Carabao Cup. However, the story at Old Trafford is not just about the coaching chair.
