Manchester United are 18th after 10 games, a fate not many had expected after the club’s glorious renaissance under Michael Carrick in the second half of last season.
The squad bought into the former United midfielder’s methods, and expectations were sky-high heading into the new season.
However, INEOS sold the head coach short in the summer, refusing to strengthen at the back while ignoring the need to bring in an additional striker.
Despite reports of squad bonhomie being at an all-time high during pre-season, things unravelled quickly once the real action began.
Spat between Lisandro Martinez and Youri Tielemans
Tactical faults aside, INEOS’ transfer shortcomings caught up with United, and Lisandro Martínez called out football director Jason Wilcox after the Atlético Madrid defeat.
Youri Tielemans, who also faced the media after the game, was caught unawares by the Argentine’s comments.
According to The Daily Mail, both clashed during the flight back to Manchester as squad morale dipped to an all-time low.
“Lisandro Martinez called out United’s underwhelming recruitment in Madrid by saying he expected more of Wilcox, and he isn’t the only one who feels that way.
| Stat | Premier League | UEFA Champions League | All competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Minutes | 583 | 195 | 778 |
| Goals | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Assists | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Red cards | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Clean sheets | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Pochettino has a huge job on his hands
“Tielemans gave a terse ‘no comment’ when he was asked on camera about his team-mate’s remarks, but it’s understood the two players clashed on the team flight back to Manchester as cracks began to show in an increasingly unhappy camp.
“The camaraderie fostered by rounds of golf involving Carrick and the players during the break in Ireland was beginning to fall apart.”
Mauricio Pochettino, who is reportedly expected to take over, needs to bring the group back together while instilling discipline within the squad.
The Argentine is known for his high-octane teams, and it will be a real challenge to get these underperforming stars back up to speed.
Feature image Angel Martinez via Getty Images
