Manchester United are finalising a deal to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their next manager, should Michael Carrick be sacked, according to reportsf
Carrick is still Man Utd manager as things stand and a decision is yet to be made about his future. But Pochettino has been lined up to replace the Englishman should the trigger be pulled.
It would see a return to the Premier League for Pochettino, who last managed Chelsea before taking the reins of the United States. The Argentine also has experience in England with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, taking the latter to the 2019 Champions League final.
But this would not be a straightforward job. Much like the task that was at hand at Chelsea, Pochettino would need to fix Man Utd’s problems while simultaneously building a project for the future. And Man Utd have a lot of problems, currently sitting in the relegation zone.
Deeper Man Utd problems
Defensive fixes needed
Man Utd have one of the worst defences in the Premier League this season. The Red Devils have conceded 19 goals, with only Ipswich Town (20) and Crystal Palace (24) letting in more than the Red Devils. To make matters worse, Man Utd aren’t actually facing too many shots. They have conceded an average of 11.8 shots per game in the Premier League this season, the sixth-best in the division. But teams are turning up against Man Utd.
Of those 11.8 shots conceded per game, 5.1 have been on target. That ranks Man Utd in the lower half of the Premier League, with only four teams conceding more. Man Utd also rank 14th for their 14.35 Expected Goals conceded. A lot of that is down to structure and can be changed with a new manager. Man Utd are far too busy in front of their own goal, ranking second for possessions won in the middle (21.3) and defensive (22.5) thirds per game. By contrast, they only average 3.4 possessions won in the attacking third per game, ranking 11th in the Premier League for that metric.
Personnel problems
While Carrick must certainly take some of the blame for the defence, some of the problems are brought by the players on the pitch. Senne Lammens, for example. The goalkeeper has been busy this season making 33 saves in the Premier League, and he has certainly prevented Man Utd from heavier defeats at times. But he has also conceded 19 goals from 14.67 post-shot xGC. Only Coventry City‘s Carl Rushworth (-7.22) has a bigger negative difference between post-shot xGC and goals conceded than Lammens’ -4.33.
Man Utd have also made four errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season, with only three teams making more. Lammens is one of them, while Lisandro Martinez has also made one. But Leny Yoro has been the biggest culprit for the Red Devils. The Frenchman has made three errors leading to shots in total this season, two of which have led to goals. A lack of consistency in the defence hasn’t helped, particularly with Yoro played both at centre-back and right-back. But these are also individual errors proving costly. A managerial change alone won’t fix this.
A low-confidence, low-quality attack
There’s a similar story in attack. Carrick has coached one of the best attacks in the Premier League, with Man Utd taking more shots than any other side (193). The Red Devils also sit second for their 54 efforts on target, with only Chelsea (57) managing more. These aren’t bad chances either. Man Utd have amassed 16.6 xG in the Premier League this season, the fourth-most in the division, even with 87 of their 193 shots coming from outside the box.
Man Utd are constantly probing opposition defences, looking to stay on the front foot. With their average of 54.9% possession, Man Utd average 165.4 attempted final third passes per game, the fourth-most in the Premier League. They also rank third for their 15.6 open-play crosses attempted per game, and fourth for their 2.7 through-balls attempted per game.
But it’s when Man Utd players get in front of goal that the problems occur. Man Utd’s shot accuracy of 27.98% is among the worst in the Premier League, and even when they hit the target their shots have been poor. Man Utd’s 16.6 xG drops to 12.31 post-shot xG, with their -4.29 difference the fourth-worst in the Premier League. So Man Utd’s players are seriously hurting their chances of scoring by their shot placement.
Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have been the worst suspects here. Rashford has posted 1.37 xG but only 0.13 post-shot xG, a difference of -1.24. Fernandes, meanwhile, has 2.36 post-shot xG from 3.51 xG, a reduction of -1.15. It’s a wider problem though. Of the 21 Man Utd players to have taken at least one shot, only six have a positive difference between their xG and post-shot xG. And three of those are defenders.
Dressing room drama
Man Utd’s problems run deeper than just what happens on the pitch. A few Red Devils stars have been very vocal about their disappointments with the club and management. We’re not talking leaks, or interviews given while on international duty. These are post-match comments after Man Utd games.
Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes have taken the headlines this season for their comments. Two big figures in the dressing room. Martinez said that he expected more from the board after a disappointing transfer window, specifically calling out technical director Jason Wilcox.
“I expect more from our technical director. I have to be honest. And also, as a player, we have to do more,” Martinez said.
“It’s also important to build a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.”
But even worse were Fernandes’ comments. After the 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League, the club captain questioned Carrick’s tactics to the media.
“It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence,” he said.
Whether these things were true or not, Man Utd need to portray a united front. Pochettino can come in and show that these comments are not acceptable, and change the atmosphere in the dressing room. But it’s also on the players to pull together for the good of the club and fans.