In Michael Carrick's 8 matches against Man United, the opponents of this team received 3 red cards. However, contrary to the previous 2 red cards, this time the "Red Devils" did not take advantage and lost bitterly at St. James' Park.
Every honeymoon has its end. The defeat to Newcastle is a suitable time for Carrick and his colleagues to look back at the overall team's weaknesses that need to be improved in the context that the force is only that much and there cannot be any more breakthrough options.
One of the most noticeable things is the instability when Patrick Dorgu and Lisandro Martinez are absent. They struggled in the first half against West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace. The club's left wing has been ineffective in recent weeks, unable to perform high-speed wing-to-wing plays or when going down the wing, the suddenness is something fans do not see.
Looking broadly, Man United's current playing style is only to take advantage of moments while the consistent playing style has not been defined. When they cannot take advantage of good moments and are overwhelmed by the opponent in terms of game, the fact that 11 kicks out of 10 but still loses is understandable.
In previous matches, Carrick often appeared calm outside the pitch. However, at St. James' Park, the 44-year-old coach showed more urgency, constantly signaling with hand gestures to urge his players. Carrick is gradually feeling the fierceness of the Premier League in this final leg and considers it obvious, nothing too shocking.
This is a match we could have won, so we are very disappointed to receive this result. The whole team played below par, so I have nothing to excuse. Everyone has to take responsibility after today" - Carrick shared.
The match in the middle of the week was Man United's first defeat in 2026, and it was also the 2nd match the team had lost points since Carrick took office.
Another weakness besides combativeness and the left wing issue is the increasingly poor squad depth after recent injuries. Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot came on to replace Casemiro and Luke Shaw but did not create an effect. In contrast, this pair also limited the team's attacking power. Kobbie Mainoo himself also had a bad day when he could not become a connecting point in the "Red Devils'" attacks.
Before the match against Newcastle, the story of whether Carrick would be officially signed or not appeared rampant in the media. Now, it has to be temporarily put aside because the Champions League race has not yet been decided. Soon it will be Aston Villa, the team directly competing for 3rd place with the "Red Devils". If there is another defeat, everything will be completely reversed compared to the previous honeymoon.
Carrick still maintains confidence, the team is still fighting very enthusiastically but needs to be wiser to avoid falling into a state of disappointment just because of flying too high after the past time.
