Man United were surprised by Leeds' decisiveness and synchronous pressing in the latest match of the 32nd round of the Premier League. When Lisandro Martinez received a red card, Man United had only 10 players left and played much more effort, but that was still not enough and they were defeated 1-2.
The defeat to Leeds is the first time Michael Carrick has lost at Old Trafford in this comeback. His team has also only won 1/4 of the recent matches. They have gone through five matches without keeping a clean sheet and have players sent off in the last 2 matches.
The depth of force is of course a disadvantage for Man United, but the approach to the match has been slower and more passive than when the team was newly taken over by the English coach. The decline of Liverpool and Chelsea makes Man United's points losses not too serious, but this situation needs to be stopped immediately.
Man United has a great advantage in the Champions League race but they need to win it as quickly as possible to avoid incidents.
One of the easily noticeable weaknesses of the "Red Devils" in the recent match was the slowness in reacting to a fast and bold team like Leeds. Every time someone had the ball, they often lost it in rhythm 2, rhythm 3 before they could pass it away. Providing the ball to Bruno Fernandes was therefore also more limited. The Portuguese midfielder often had to fall deep to receive the ball before developing up, instead of being a transition factor in a high-speed phase.
Manchester United had to wait 23 days to play a Premier League match after a draw with Bournemouth before the FIFA Days in March. The 1-2 defeat to Leeds brought another red card and put pressure on the squad that was already not strong enough to withstand the next challenges.
Man United is still 3rd in the rankings and holds their own destiny in the race to win a Champions League spot. Confidence will be affected but not completely shaken. The match against Chelsea this weekend will give Carrick the opportunity to quickly adjust tactics and boost the morale of his players.
The performance against Man City and Arsenal is very impressive. Man United needs to recreate it against Chelsea when they travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend. Not only regaining the usual fast counter-attacking rhythm, regaining the peak of form for key players like Bruno Fernandes is also very important in this sprint stage.
It will be very difficult, but winning a Champions League spot next season is feasible. The challenge for Carrick and his coaching staff is to end the 2025-2026 season convincingly and create a positive environment for their successor, whether he himself or someone else.
The Premier League will not add points for beautiful play, but the way Man United won tickets to the Champions League next season will affect the thoughts and emotions of fans.
