5 Things we learned from Man United’s dull draw with Leeds United

1. We’re just going round in circles at this point. Another 1-1 draw in the Premier League for Carrick’s United which makes it three draws in a row in the league and keeps United winless in their last six games in all competitions, Carrick changed systems completely going with an almost Amorim-esque formation in the first half which allowed United to compete with Leeds by matching formations which almost led to both teams cancelling each other out in the first half. It was a fiery affair at Elland Road with tackles flying in left, right and centre but there were few chances in the game which Michael Carrick probably would have been happy enough with, his optimism would have increased even further in the 35th minute as Tielemans was played in down the right before firing a low cross into Mbeumo who turned home brilliantly to give United an unlikely lead away to Leeds. By half-time you got a feeling this could be a ‘season changer’ for Michael Carrick and United who had actually applied themselves pretty well against a formidable Leeds side, unfortunately however it took just five minutes into the second half for Leeds to equalise as Stach’s corner was headed down by Muharemovic to Calvert-Lewin who held off Mbeumo and slammed the ball past Lammens to make it 1-1 early in the second half. From there both teams looked afraid to lose the game not throwing too many players forward which led to a pretty cagey second 45 but Leeds probably had the best chance of the half in added time from a long throw as Stach’s poked effort was cleared off the line by Mazraoui to ensure United would leave Elland Road with a point, not that it means an awful lot considering the situation Carrick currently finds himself in. Is there any chance of him turning it around? I don’t think so.

2. Not the result Leeds would have wanted but probably a point gained. As a United fan I was thinking the worst heading to Elland Road today but I don’t think we saw the best from Leeds United today for a multitude of reasons, the main one being the formation that Carrick went with today that I don’t think Farke saw coming which led to United matching Leeds all over the pitch and denying them space in midfield. They put plenty of brilliant crosses into the box as per usual but just couldn’t find Calvert-Lewin or Okafor in the first half which had to have been so frustrating for Daniel Farke, I thought Okafor was terrible last week at the Emirates and yet again today I thought he was miles off the pace which is why I was surprised not to see Harry Wilson come off the bench in some capacity. By the second half I think Leeds got to grips with United’s formation and the goal obviously massively helped from Calvert-Lewin who has started this season on fire, I thought Leeds might kick on after the goal but they lacked any real quality in the final third or midfield which led to the second half dying out with both teams cancelling each other out like the first half. Overall whilst Leeds fans will be slightly annoyed that the wait to beat Man United at Elland Road continues, they can be positive that they looked the far more likely team to score in the second half.

3. Carrick’s system changes leave United with the same result. Carrick had to try something different today following midweeks result to Atletico Madrid and whilst it did slightly work in the first half it still wasn’t nowhere near enough to get all three points today, the best part of our performance today was the defence which I thought looked much more assured today than the last few weeks with Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire the real standouts on the day. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the rest of the team as the midfield looked scared to take the ball but did battle hard in the game which was nice to see for once, Bruno Fernandes once again puts in another terrible performance this season and I’d like to think we’re getting to the point were Carrick has to step up and drop him either Como midweek or Bournemouth on the weekend. Bryan Mbeumo yet again got on the score-sheet with a well taken finish in the first half and looks far more comfortable playing number nine than out on the right-wing which took Carrick far too long to recognise, unfortunately on the right-wing Amad Diallo still doesn’t look match-fit after missing the start of the season but hopefully the Ivorian can pick up the pace over the next few games as we need him at his best. Overall I just think I’m numb to these results at this point as a United fan as the eventual Carrick sacking is coming at some point over the next month, what’s the point in waiting?

4. What does Carrick need to do in the next two games to get a win on the board? Alright so with Como and Bournemouth on the horizon over the next week what can Carrick do to get that all important win to most likely keep his job? First and foremost he has to show some character and drop Bruno Fernandes from the team, I don’t care if he’s your captain his performances have been abhorrent all season and he needs to spend at least one or two games on the bench. Give Matheus Cunha or Mason Mount a start in that position and see how they do, it can’t be worse than Fernandes at the moment. Next up we need to get some more width in the team and seeing that we have current fit full-back that’s going to have to be on the wing, Marcus Rashford hasn’t had the greatest start to the season but him and Amad are our only real ‘wingers’ in the squad so you just have to hope that he can catch fire in the next two games and hit that form we know he can reach. Obviously this is out of Carrick’s control but we desperately need Mainoo and Shaw back fit for the next two games as they elevate the team massively with Mainoo in particular being our player of the season so far, not that that says too much. These next two games will determine Carrick’s future at United in my opinion, he needs to win both games to get the fans back on side. Unfortunately I can’t see that happening.

5. What’s up next for these two sides? Like I was saying above United take a trip to Como in the Champions League on Wednesday before heading back to Old Trafford for a must-win game against Bournemouth in the Premier League, Leeds are back in action on Sunday at the Stadium Of Light against Sunderland who could very well be rock bottom of the league if Spurs beat Coventry tomorrow. For me I’m away this evening so the next game I’ll have covered for you will be Spurs vs Coventry before the Champions League games return on Tuesday and Wednesday, big game that tomorrow at the Tottenham Hotspur Arena. I fancy Spurs to win their first Premier League of the season, what do you think?