Carrick Expects to Lead Manchester United Against Roma After Ninth Winless Game

Manchester United’s next two fixtures may define Michael Carrick’s immediate future. After a 2-0 loss at Chelsea extended United’s winless run to nine matches, Carrick said he expects to lead the team against Roma on Tuesday. A report cited by Sky Sports says he could have at least two more games to turn results around. That leaves little room for the familiar distinction between a disappointing performance and a damaging result: United need points, and Carrick’s short-term standing is tied to whether they can get them.

United’s struggles deepen

United competed well for much of the first half at Stamford Bridge but didn’t convert their chances. That matters because the scoreline doesn’t describe a match in which they were simply absent; for a spell, they created opportunities to make the contest look different. Morgan Rogers opened the scoring, with Lisandro Martínez involved in the goal. Martínez was later sent off for the foul that led to a penalty, which Cole Palmer converted, leaving United with a steeper task and fewer options.

Nine matches without a win in all competitions is United’s longest such run since September 1984, according to Sky Sports. The club have also started a season with seven away fixtures without a victory for the first time since 1973-74, the season they were relegated. Those comparisons give the current run historical weight, but they don’t explain its causes or predict what happens next. They do show how quickly a poor stretch can become a wider story about the club’s direction.

The numbers here are underwhelming, and the away record adds a particular problem: poor results on the road make it harder to treat a difficult home fixture as an isolated setback. United’s challenge is to stop the run before each new match becomes another test of whether the team can handle pressure. Results have become the clearest measure available.

Carrick keeps the focus on Roma

Carrick’s position came under scrutiny after United’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth last weekend. The club retained him, and he spent the following week discussing difficult conversations behind closed doors. That offers a glimpse of the response inside the club, but not a public account of what was said or what changes might follow. Asked by TNT Sports if he expected to be in charge against Roma, Carrick replied, “Yeah.”

At his press conference, Carrick returned to the immediate task: “I’m just looking forward to getting the boys ready for midweek now.” Asked whether the squad was prepared for a fight near the bottom of the table, he pointed to the chance to climb quickly with wins. “That’s the way it has to be approached for sure,” he said. The message is practical: league position can change with results, but the team still has to produce those results. For a manager under pressure, narrowing the focus to the next match also keeps attention on what players can control.

He also rejected the idea that talk about United’s league position would change anything. In comments reported by The Guardian, he said the team had to “move forward and win matches”. Here’s the thing: that’s the only answer that can settle the immediate question around his job. Public confidence may help set a tone, but it can’t substitute for a result.

Martínez and the supporters

Carrick declined to blame Martínez publicly. He said he hadn’t watched the incident again and answered “no” when asked whether the defender had let him down. He described the sending-off and the penalty as “a major part of the game”. That response keeps the focus on the match as a whole rather than turning one player into the explanation for a team’s longer run of poor results.

A red card and a penalty can reshape a match, especially when a side is already chasing the game, but they don’t erase the problems that came before the decision. Carrick’s restraint is understandable: judging the incident before reviewing it could distract from the work required before Roma. And yet, United can’t afford to treat the setback as self-contained if the same pattern of missed chances and costly moments keeps appearing.

The away support continued singing Carrick’s name at full time. He praised the fans and said the team needed to give them something positive to rally around. Support can offer a manager and players some encouragement, but it also sharpens the expectation that the team will respond on the pitch. A show of backing after a defeat is meaningful. It isn’t a result.

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Two fixtures to shift the mood

Sky Sports’ Sunday paper review says The Athletic reports Carrick is set to receive at least two more matches. Roma visit first, followed by Aston Villa at Old Trafford next Sunday. The sequence gives Carrick a defined window to change the conversation, though it doesn’t guarantee that two fixtures will settle every question about the team.

After the Bournemouth defeat put his role in doubt, the pressure is now concentrated on those two games. A strong result this week would give Carrick some breathing room; another setback would leave United’s run and his position harder to ignore. Winning would matter beyond the table, too: it could restore some belief that the team can turn competitive spells into outcomes. A loss would keep the focus on how long the club can wait for that shift.

What the next results will show

This is more significant than it looks. The immediate issue is Carrick’s job, but the next two matches will also test whether United can respond to pressure with better execution. Similar runs often expose more than one weakness at once: finishing chances, managing turning points, and maintaining confidence after a setback can all become part of the same problem. The available details don’t establish which factor matters most for United, so the performances themselves will have to provide the evidence.

If you’re working in this space, the useful distinction is between a short-term lift and a real change in results. One win could ease the pressure and interrupt the run; it wouldn’t by itself prove that the underlying issues are fixed. Two fixtures, then. That said, they’re enough to change the mood around Carrick, and possibly the club’s next decision, because the current sequence has left little room for patience.