Manchester United lost their first match under Michael Carrick on Wednesday night, as goals from Anthony Gordon and William Osula cancelled out a Casemiro header.
Michael Carrick made just one change to his starting lineup for the trip to Newcastle United, as Noussair Mazraoui replaced Diogo Dalot at right-back. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw continued to start, despite injury concerns during the Crystal Palace match.
Newcastle United clinched victory in the 90th minute thanks to a curling effort from William Osula. The young Dane, who impressed at an Old Trafford tournament as a child, beat Tyrell Malacia before whipping a ball into the far corner, with Senne Lammens left as a bystander.
During the first 45 minutes, United struggled to get a grip on the game until Jacob Ramsey was dismissed with two yellow cards following his penalty appeal late on, although Bruno Fernandes gave away a penalty just minutes later for a foul on Anthony Gordon.
Newcastle weren’t ahead for long, though. Casemiro levelled the game in the 54th minute – in additional time of the first half – with an excellent header from a set-piece. Lewis Hall brought down Mazraoui, and Fernandes whipped in a ball into the near post that the Brazilian headed home, as he so often does.
The second half wasn’t much better for United. Despite the one-man advantage, Carrick’s side failed to dominate the game and came off second best for much of the 45 minutes, with the final blow dealt just before the 90-minute mark thanks to Osula.
#1 – Cunha needs time to adapt
Under Rúben Amorim, Matheus Cunha was tailor-made to the system, as he loves to operate in the left-half-space – the area in between the left flank and the centre of the pitch. However, under Michael Carrick, Cunha has been asked to stay wide.
When he does hug the touchline, Cunha often impresses. He can drive past his man with speed on either the outside or the inside, as was proved against Kieran Trippier at St. James’ Park. But actually staying wide is another matter entirely.
Amad was the man who had to change his game for the better of the team under Amorim, but Cunha has that responsibility, until the end of the season, at least.
The former Wolves forward has all the attributes to excel as a wide forward; he just needs time to adapt.
#2 – Šeško continues to impress
Benjamin Šeško started for the second game in a row against Newcastle, despite not starting a game under Carrick before the Crystal Palace match on Sunday.
As well as his impressive finishing ability, Šeško has also improved his link-up play since the former midfielder took charge at Old Trafford.
Recent reports have said that Šeško has been working with Travis Binnion, who was the Under-21s head coach before Amorim’s sacking, and it appears to be working wonders for the Slovenian.
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#3 – United missing Martínez
Without Lisandro Martínez available, Maguire and Leny Yoro continued as the centre-back partnership. The duo looked solid for the majority of the match, but both failed to make up for Martínez’s passing ability.
The Argentine plays passes like no other centre-back in the Premier League, constantly bypassing the first and sometimes second phase of the opposition press, helping United start what is often called a false transition: a situation that appears like a counter-attack, but comes from a period of sustained possession.
Against Newcastle, even after the red card, United found it difficult to progress the ball from defence to attack without Martínez. When he’s fit, United like to play bounce passes, for example: Martínez to Mainoo, Mainoo back to Martínez, and Martínez into Šeško. It didn’t happen at all against Newcastle.
While it works well when Martínez plays, Carrick must find another solution for breaking down the opposition, especially given Martínez’s injury struggles over the last few years.
#4 – Amad’s impact must not be understated
For the second game in a row, Amad started from the bench in place of Šeško. Bryan Mbeumo played from the right wing, but struggled to get past Lewis Hall and find the Slovenian in the penalty area, which is Amad’s biggest strength.
The Ivorian wasn’t at his best against Everton, but he has been crucial for United all season. His one-on-one dribbling on the right wing has been one of the only ways United have been able to break down a low block.
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His absence was noted against Newcastle, with Mbeumo often finding it difficult to beat Hall for pace on the outside and lacking options when he cut inside. With little success on the left wing, Amad was hugely missed.
When he finally did come on in the 76th minute, Amad failed to make a real impact on the game, but showed his take-on ability on more than one occasion. The 23-year-old should be back in the starting side for the Aston Villa match on March 15.
#5 – Midfield reinforcement more than necessary
Before tonight’s match, Manuel Ugarte had played just 27 minutes under Michael Carrick, but his introduction in the 60th minute meant he more than doubled his tally. The former Sporting CP midfielder replaced Casemiro, as United were lacking legs in the engine room.
Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo were both struggling to grab hold of the midfield, even after Newcastle went down 10 men at the end of the first half. Ugarte’s introduction helped, but United never looked more comfortable in possession.
Director of Football Jason Wilcox would have already begun the search for new midfielders, with Casemiro’s departure already confirmed, but more than one new signing is needed if United are to compete in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
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