Manchester United
Di María on a Promising Start, Tactical Friction and a Terrifying Break-In
Di María remembers a bright start at Manchester United, then tactical shifts and a terrified family.
Ángel Di María still remembers the first weeks at Manchester United with a trace of wistfulness. “It all started off well,” he says, and the early numbers underline that claim. “I scored goals and set up others in several matches,” he adds, describing a rapid adaptation in which he directly contributed to six Premier League goals in his first five games, scoring three and creating three.
The winger, so skinny he is nicknamed El Fideo (the Noodle), produced one of his best displays that September at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, scooping a lob over Kasper Schmeichel before setting up Ander Herrera to put United 3–1 ahead. The match ended in a shocking 5–3 defeat after four unanswered goals against the Red Devils.
That collapse fed doubts about the narrow 4-4-2 system and how it affected the squad. Van Gaal began to alter formations and personnel, a process that affected Di María directly. “All of a sudden, Van Gaal started moving me to different positions—positions I’d never played before and didn’t feel comfortable in,” he says. The player describes blunt criticism from the coach: “He’d point out everything I did wrong during the game but never the good things.
“I’m the type to take risks all the time, but he didn’t see it that way; he never understood that I was a forward. And that’s where the whole conflict with him began. Then I froze up, and he started benching me.”
The 2014–15 figures reflect a fragmented season: 27 appearances, 20 starts, 1,639 minutes, three goals and 10 assists. Injuries and a red card against Arsenal compounded his difficulties.
Off the field, Di María says the situation worsened for his family. “My family wasn’t comfortable either,” Di María adds, “I wasn’t happy in the city. The weather didn’t help much either. And with the fight with him, things just snowballed.” The final blow came when three men attempted to break into his Cheshire mansion while he, his wife and young daughter were at dinner. The alarm drove the intruders away, but the episode left a lasting mark on the player and his family.
As the World Cup winner has noted, the campaign began brightly before a sequence of tactical changes, personal strain and a frightening home invasion altered the course of his season.
Man Utd
United’s Next Manager Shortlist Takes Shape Around Carrick Pressure
United are weighing Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte as Carrick’s future comes under pressure.
Manchester United are already being linked with possible replacements for Michael Carrick, with Eddie Howe said to be the leading candidate if change is made at Old Trafford.
Carrick’s position is understood to be under increasing pressure, and anything other than victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday would only add to the speculation surrounding his future. According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, United have already begun conversations with possible options for the role.
“[Man Utd] also, because it’s the reality, they also had some conversations with agents, camps, representatives of other managers, because Manchester United had some conversation and that’s absolutely normal,” said the Italian.
“I’m not accusing Man Utd of anything wrong. It’s normal when things are not going well you start preparing for a potential change. So Man Utd had conversations with agents of managers.”
Romano then identified three names he believes sit on United’s list should Carrick be removed. In the order he gave them, those names were Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte.
“I told you that the three names we should take in consideration as free managers are in this order—Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte.
“Three managers very different one from the other and also in terms of approach.
“United are yet to say ‘Okay, let’s go for this coach.’ So the moment is still open but these are three names and obviously to talk with representatives, intermediaries or anyone close to these coaches is absolutely something normal in this situation, in this position for Manchester United.
“Then obviously there could be other managers who can be very attractive but very difficult to get.”
Howe, 48, has been out of work since leaving Newcastle at the end of July and is viewed as the current front-runner. His Premier League experience and man-management are thought to have caught United’s attention, even if there are lingering doubts about whether he has yet managed at a level comparable with Old Trafford.
Nagelsmann, 39, offers a very different profile. He has never coached in England, but his tactical reputation and attractive style have kept him in view. At the same time, his spell with the Germany national team did not fully convince, leaving him with questions of his own.
Manchester United
Šeško setback deepens United’s forward-line problems
Šeško’s delayed return leaves United short of options and increases pressure on Carrick.
Manchester United have been handed another damaging blow, with Benjamin Šeško now expected to miss the rest of the calendar year.
According to The Athletic, the Slovenia international is not due back until January, a timeline that only adds to the pressure around the United boss, who could by then already be out of a job. The setback is a serious one for a side already battling through a difficult spell.
Šeško is believed to have played through the final two months of last season with the shin problem that is still affecting him. Even so, he played a part in helping United secure Champions League qualification. That history makes the current decision easier to understand, but no less painful for the club.
United chose not to send the 23-year-old for surgery over the summer. Instead, they opted for an extended period of rest in the hope that it would help him recover fully. The club has now concluded that he needs a longer spell out to reduce the risk of the problem returning later.
For Carrick, the timing could hardly be worse. United’s wider crisis has already included mutiny, humiliation and supporter unrest, and this latest development arrives just as the season enters a decisive phase.
Their issues in front of goal have been obvious across the opening two months. In Šeško’s absence, United have largely relied on improvised solutions at centre forward. Joshua Zirkzee remains the only other natural No. 9, yet his return of 10 goals in 83 appearances underlines why he has not been the answer.
Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes have all been used as stand-in strikers ahead of him, but none has thrived there. Carrick now faces the task of finding a lasting fix to a growing problem, with his own position potentially tied to the outcome.
Chelsea
Carrick keeps his job as Fernandes seeks a reset before Chelsea
Carrick stays, Fernandes resets, and United seek relief before Chelsea after a tense week.
Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes have reportedly put their differences aside after discussions aimed at clearing the air following Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
The fallout from that result had been severe. Fernandes had already gone public with a striking criticism of the club’s tactical approach after a damaging night in northern Italy, while Lisandro Martínez had earlier taken aim at director of football Jason Wilcox. With United in a difficult moment, Sunday’s loss to Bournemouth had looked likely to bring Carrick’s spell to an end.
Instead, the club have opted to keep him in place for the Premier League meeting with Chelsea this Saturday.
According to The Guardian, that decision has been followed by a reconciliation between Carrick and Fernandes after talks at the club’s training ground on Tuesday. The Portugal international is said to have given “assurances that he is fully committed and intent on trying to turn the team’s season around,” before a full squad meeting in which his teammates “made the same vow.”
That should give the impression of a clean slate, but United’s problems are far from settled. Fernandes is expected to start against Chelsea as he attempts to end a poor spell of form. So far this season, he has managed only four goals and one assist, all of them arriving in home matches against Ipswich Town and Sabah FK.
United’s wider picture remains bleak. They sit 16th in the Premier League and 21st in the Champions League, and they have already gone out of the Carabao Cup after a shock collapse against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Pressure is increasing, and the boos after the Bournemouth defeat were aimed at the players rather than Carrick. Another setback against Chelsea could put the current regime in real danger.
Carrick will hope the latest round of soul-searching leads to a stronger response, and there is at least some indication that part of the dressing room remains aligned with him. “The feeling is that we all want to put it right. Players, staff, everyone,” one unnamed United player recently told BBC Sport.
