One of the many concerns surrounding Manchester United under Michael Carrick has been the team’s persistent failure to run. Indeed, United’s lack of intensity under Carrick has become impossible to ignore.
Many have pinned this shortcoming on the training methods employed, after Youri Tielemans revealed in pre-season that the side had undertaken virtually no running work and focused almost entirely on the ball.
Most obvious red flag from pre-season. https://t.co/QDyRZVRC9R pic.twitter.com/tfKwaralwS
— . (@DanLFC1_) September 16, 2026
That absence of intensity has left United unable to press effectively and struggling to defend in quick transitions.
In a league where intensity is everything, the result has been a winless run lasting more than two months, an 18th-place standing, and a precarious one-point cushion above bottom-placed Crystal Palace.
Carrick is now leaving, and the prevailing belief is that former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino will replace him.
| Manager | Season | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pochettino | 2012/13 | Southampton FC | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 19 | 25.0% |
| Pochettino | 2013/14 | Southampton FC | 44 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 68 | 43.2% |
What Pochettino Brings to the Table
Pochettino brings proven Premier League credentials, elite tactical flexibility, top-tier man-management skills, and a sure touch with the media.
He tends to build around the strengths of the players at his disposal, as he did at Southampton and during his early seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, rather than forcing a rigid system on them. He can rebuild culture, foster strong squad cohesion, and extract performances through motivation, just as he has done with the USMNT.
Above all, though, most United fans will welcome Moises Caicedo’s testimony after he moved from Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea.
United will have to run like mad dogs
Back in 2024, Caicedo confessed: “At Brighton it was all tactical, just with the ball; ‘tactical, tactical, tactical.’ At Chelsea it was run, run, run and it was very difficult for me. With Chelsea I always ran a bit more and with Brighton we almost always had the ball. With Chelsea it was a different football, and we had to run more.”
Having watched how sluggish this United side has been under Carrick, and having seen how dangerous they can become when they play with genuine intensity, as they did against Aston Villa, there is every reason to expect a lift if Pochettino implements the same demanding approach.
Were he appointed, Pochettino’s high-intensity style might finally cure the Red Devils’ endless wandering. His clear tactical direction would give structure to their running, replacing the raw emotion that has so often seen them charge about without purpose.
In the end, under the Argentine, United’s aimless energy would acquire real intent on the pitch, something that, combined with the players’ individual brilliance, could truly hurt opponents.
Featured image by Alex Grimm via Getty Images
