United return from the international break needing a win against bottom-of-the-table Spurs, with Carlos Baleba in contention for his debut and Michael Carrick facing a potentially damaging afternoon if his side lose.
Manchester United have had three weeks to stew over their start to the season. Saturday brings a chance to improve it against a Tottenham side having an even worse time.
Tottenham arrive at Old Trafford bottom of the table, without a league win and with just two goals to their name. United should be looking at this as an opportunity, although the draw at Fulham offered another reminder that struggling opponents can still make Carrick’s side look uncomfortable.
Matheus Cunha’s late equaliser at Craven Cottage prevented a third consecutive defeat. It did little to resolve the questions about United’s defending, their control of midfield or their tendency to need a setback before showing any urgency.
Carrick Can’t Afford Another Defeat
Lose this and Carrick’s job could become a serious question.
A home defeat by a winless Tottenham would leave United with one victory from six league matches, having already gone out of the Carabao Cup. Whatever patience Carrick earned during last season’s recovery, that would be an increasingly difficult record to defend.
The concern is how quickly the position could deteriorate. United go to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, then face trips to Leeds and Como before finishing October against Bournemouth and Chelsea. As Paddock’s look at the October fixtures sets out, Carrick will have very little time between games to put things right.
Spurs at home needs to provide some breathing room. Losing it would send United into that run with confidence lower still and every selection, substitution and poor spell attracting more scrutiny.
Injuries have complicated Carrick’s work. They don’t fully explain why United have repeatedly lost control of games or allowed opponents to play with greater urgency. Another performance like the second half at Fulham would make it harder to argue that improvement is just around the corner.
Manchester United Team News
Carlos Baleba is in contention for his competitive debut after the ankle injury that delayed his start at United. He played in the behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport during the break, although Carrick still has to decide whether he’s ready to start a Premier League match.
Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford withdrew from England duty. Both have been reported as hopeful of being available, but their fitness still needs confirming. Benjamin Šeško is a bigger doubt after the recurrence of the shin problem that kept him out against Fulham.
Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui also returned from international duty with injuries. Amad could make the squad after his ankle lay-off, though he hasn’t played competitively this season.
Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte and Tom Heaton remain unavailable in the latest injury reports. Karl Darlow also requires assessment. United have no players suspended.
Tottenham Team News and Form
Roberto De Zerbi has problems of his own. Spurs failed to score in their opening four league matches before finding the net twice late on in a 3-2 home defeat by Aston Villa. Those goals couldn’t disguise another poor result.
Pedro Porro is sidelined, with Archie Gray an option at right-back. Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke need assessing after problems on international duty, while Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mykhaylo Mudryk remain absent in the pre-match reports.
There is still enough attacking quality to trouble United. Dominic Solanke offers a central target, with Omar Marmoush and Sávio providing options around him. Mohammed Kudus could also come into contention for a start.
United should have opportunities against this defence. They also need to avoid giving Spurs the easy route into the game that Fulham enjoyed when United’s midfield became stretched.
Last 5 Results
Competitive matches, most recent first. Home team listed first.
Manchester United
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 20 September | Fulham 1-1 Manchester United | Premier League |
| 16 September | Manchester United 2-3 Brighton | Carabao Cup |
| 13 September | Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City | Premier League |
| 10 September | Manchester United 4-0 Sabah | Champions League |
| 6 September | Everton 2-2 Manchester United | Premier League |
Tottenham
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 19 September | Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa | Premier League |
| 15 September | Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham | Carabao Cup |
| 12 September | Tottenham 0-0 Everton | Premier League |
| 5 September | Nottingham Forest 0-0 Tottenham | Premier League |
| 29 August | Tottenham 0-2 Newcastle | Premier League |
What United Need to Do
United need better chances and better protection when attacks break down.
Opta’s preview puts United top of the league for shots with 113, but their average of 0.08 expected goals per non-penalty shot is the third-lowest. The volume hasn’t consistently brought enough quality.
Cunha and Bruno Fernandes need support close enough to combine around the box. Rashford, if fit, should stretch the left side, while Bryan Mbeumo needs service that allows him to attack his defender before Spurs can get organised. Mbeumo has six goals and an assist in his last six league appearances against Tottenham.
Behind them, United can’t keep leaving the centre-backs exposed whenever possession changes hands. The full-backs need to judge their advances, and the midfield must stay close enough to challenge for loose balls.
Baleba’s introduction could help. His ability to carry possession and compete physically gives Carrick another option, but the players around him still have to do their jobs. Asking a debutant to cover every gap would leave the same structural problems in place.
An early goal would help settle Old Trafford. United then need to keep playing with the purpose that brought it, something they failed to do after taking a two-goal lead against Brighton.
Predicted XI
Lammens;
Dalot, Maguire, Martínez, Shaw;
Mainoo, Tielemans;
Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford;
Cunha.
This assumes Mainoo and Rashford are passed fit. I’m expecting Baleba to make his debut from the bench, with a starting place dependent on how ready Carrick believes he is. If Rashford misses out, Cunha could move left and Joshua Zirkzee come in through the middle.
Predicted Score
United have given us plenty of reasons to be wary of backing them. Spurs have offered even fewer reasons to trust them.
Home advantage and the quality of United’s attack should be enough, provided they don’t spend another afternoon making the opposition look more comfortable than they are. I’m backing a narrow win, with Mbeumo a good candidate to make the difference.
Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham.
