This one should hit Carrick for the result, but turn the knife toward the people who keep handing United managers incomplete squads and acting surprised when they break.
There is something almost impressive about losing to ten men three times in a year.
Everton. Newcastle. Manchester City.
Three red cards. Three opportunities for Manchester United to put a boot on somebody’s throat and take control of a football match. Three defeats instead.
That is not bad luck. That is a sickness.
Michael Carrick deserves his share of the blame for Sunday. Of course he does. When your biggest rival goes down to ten men at Old Trafford, you have to find a way. Change the shape. Throw another attacker on. Stretch the pitch. Make them suffer. United did none of it well enough, and Carrick cannot hide from that.
But anyone already sharpening the knives for the manager should remember how we got here.
Carrick did not build this squad.
The owners did.
They watched him drag Manchester United to third place last season, back into the Champions League against expectations, and responded to that achievement by giving him a summer that was nowhere near aggressive enough. The midfield still needed surgery. The squad still lacked depth in obvious places. There were holes everyone could see from the cheap seats.
And instead of going for it, United did what United have done too many times before.
They hesitated.
They counted pennies.
They convinced themselves that good coaching could cover for bad planning.
Now the bill is arriving.
That does not mean Carrick gets a free pass. Manchester United should beat ten-man Manchester City with the players available. They should have beaten ten-man Everton. They should have found a way against Newcastle. At some point the manager has to solve the problem in front of him.
But there is a difference between holding Carrick accountable and pretending Carrick is the problem.
We have seen this movie before. A manager delivers enough to create hope, the club fails to properly reinforce the squad, performances wobble, supporters turn their anger toward the dugout and eventually another manager is fed into the wood chipper.
Then everyone starts talking about a rebuild.
Again.
United cannot keep changing the chef while buying the same rotten groceries.
The next stretch matters. Brighton and Fulham arrive quickly. Carrick needs a response, not excuses. Players need to show some nerve. United cannot allow one derby humiliation to become a month-long hangover.
But supporters have a role here too.
Be angry. Demand better. Boo a performance like Sunday if it deserves it.
Just aim the anger in the right direction.
Carrick earned this job. He earned the right to have a difficult week without the fanbase immediately demanding another sacrificial lamb.
Three defeats against ten men is embarrassing.
Turning on another manager before confronting why Manchester United keep putting their managers in this position would be worse.
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