Michael Carrick needs to stop his trial as Man United boss right away after Tottenham showed a big problem.
Manchester United had another tough game as they ended up with a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Tottenham Hotspur. United’s performance felt slow and a bit flat, and they were lucky not to be behind in the first half when Spurs kept attacking Senne Lammens’ goal. In the first 45 minutes, Tottenham had a much higher chance of scoring (0.95 xG) compared to United’s tiny 0.05 xG.
Tottenham took the lead in the 73rd minute when Bryan Mbeumo scored, even though it wasn’t expected given how the game was going. Soon after, Rodrigo Bentancur got sent off after a clash of heads with Luke Shaw, making it look like United might hold on for the win. But in stoppage time, Dominic Solanke scored to salvage a point for Tottenham, much to the frustration of the home fans.
This draw means United dropped two more points at Old Trafford, putting more pressure on coach Michael Carrick, who seemed to struggle with tactics in this matchup. For the fifth game in a row, Carrick started with a midfield duo of Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo. While both are good with the ball and passing, they didn’t bring the energy or toughness needed for the Premier League. Spurs’ midfield trio of Conor Gallagher, Sandro Tonali, and Lucas Bergvall easily outmatched them, especially since Bruno Fernandes wasn’t aggressive enough off the ball.
Many fans reacted by asking Carrick to stop playing Tielemans and Mainoo together. One said, “I’ve seen enough. Mainoo and Tielemans won’t work long-term.” Another added, “Not sure if it’s a team problem or just Tielemans.” Some compared Tielemans to Christian Eriksen but felt he wasn’t quite delivering, and others joked that the two looked like they were playing tired and slow.
Even Paul Scholes has warned that Tielemans might struggle to meet expectations at United, and fans are already questioning if he should be in the starting lineup. The good news for Carrick is that the answer might be right in front of him. When Carlos Baleba came on for his United debut after replacing Tielemans in the 60th minute, it was clear Baleba brought something different.
Baleba, who joined United this summer for £70 million from Brighton, has had to wait because of an ankle injury. But in his 31 minutes against Spurs, he showed his quality—winning the ball back aggressively, protecting the defense, and playing tidy passes with an 89% completion rate. He also made two key passes, one of the highest on the field.
Baleba could now start in United’s important Champions League match against Atletico Madrid. If he keeps showing his strong defensive skills in midfield, he might soon earn a regular spot ahead of Tielemans.