Man Utd analysis: Michael Carrick shaken by Martinez outburst after CL defeat

Manchester United’s season lurched to a new low on Tuesday night, when a Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid was followed by some bombshell quotes from Lisandro Martinez.

We are not sure beleaguered Man Utd boss Michael Carrick got much sleep after witnessing the 2-0 loss to the hosts, with Leny Yoro seeing red to add to the misery engulfing the club.

And neither did Sports News Blitz’s Man Utd writer Robert Bore, who gives his thoughts on the game, which sets things up nicely for a tasty clash with arch rivals Leeds United this weekend.

Atletico Madrid (a) Oct 13

Keep it tight lads, let's get through the first 49 secon….. 

I’d barely shuffled uncomfortably in my seat before the scoreboard had already updated to 1-0. 

United were sliced open inside a minute as Alex Baena broke down the left - Diogo Dalot naturally caught napping - and his low centre across goal fed the onrushing and unmarked Pablo Barrios who saw his shot half blocked by Ayden Heaven but the ball trickled over the line. 

Even the Calamity Button hadn’t warmed up.

Dalot hadn’t learned his lesson and played an inexplicably stupid ball across his own box into the opposition but Atletico couldn’t capitalise - I would genuinely rather play with a man less. 

It took 10 minutes or so for signs of life as Marcus Rashford was played in behind for the first foray into Spanish territory and moments later Bryan Mbeumo saw his effort deflect agonisingly past the post. 

It should have been 1-1. 

Delicious pass

Rashford failed to connect with a delicious ball in from Martinez when he should have done a little better but it was promising at least. United could maybe even have been ahead. 

However, United’s backline looked shakier than a pensioner moonwalking, Ayden Heaven and Yoro doing both well yet inducing heartburn in the space of the same move. 

Carrick had rung the changes to try and shore up the midfield with Andrey Santos alongside Carlos Baleba and joined by Youri Tielemans. 

This meant Matheus Cunha had made way along with Harry Maguire (both benched) while Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo missed out through injury, or presumably with an eye on the weekend trip to Leeds United.

Meanwhile, the hosts had weathered the United squall and settled back in with more possession. 

That said, the next chance saw Mbeumo go close again, playing a neat one-two with Tielemans but denied by Jan Oblak and Carlos Baleba could only head straight at the keeper from the resulting corner. 

United were creating at least, just not able to convert.

Lazy defending

At the other end Alejandro Grimaldo shaved the frame of the goal with a free-kick from the right edge of the box after some lazy defending from Rashford put his defence under pressure. 

Despite the aforementioned ‘shoring up’ of the engine room, there were still gaping holes at times and the Spaniards looked dangerous on the turn. 

Not looking dangerous was Bruno Fernandes, who seemed to be labouring and off the pace, summed up six minutes before the break when he twice cut back inside rather than getting the ball into a loaded box. 

Dalot tried to give it away in his own box again and got lucky but within a couple of minutes it looked like it was two. 

There were opportunities to clear that weren’t taken, the ball eventually landing at the feet of Johnny Cardoso on the edge of the box and he lashed the ball past Senne Lammens. 

Reprieve from VAR review

United protested a handball and after a VAR review, they got their reprieve, Marcos Llorente handling in the build-up. 

It would have been a little harsh to be fair and had the game been 2-2 it wouldn’t have been a surprise. 

The first big chance of the second half fell to the home side. 

Julian Alvarez was the recipient of both poor marking from Dalot and a brilliant pass from Pablo Barrios, his first-time volley smacking against the post and was scrambled clear.

The second fell to Bruno, found by Tielemans’ cross-field find, as he tried to lift the ball over Oblak but it dropped desperately wide of the far post. 

Bruno voodoo gone

The United skipper held his head in his hands. Last season that nestles in the corner. 

The voodoo has well and truly worn off. 

Just past the hour and it felt ripe for changes. It had been better, much better than the weekend, Baleba in particular showing the energy sorely missed. 

Carrick obliged, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo all thrown on for Tielemans, Rashford and Baleba. 

The Baleba shift raised an eyebrow but given his lack of minutes and Elland Road ahead, maybe not that unexpected. 

Fernandes and Amad worked a corner well for the former to try his luck from the angle and range but his curler cracked the crossbar. 

United were still in the game but there were only 20 minutes left to find a goal.

In an instant, any hope was lost. 

Red card setback

Jonathan David and Yoro tangled and, despite my partisan leanings, the Canadian looked to go down very easily. 

The referee gave United the free-kick but VAR decided otherwise and a red card followed after review. 

It was blancmange soft, like the moonwalking pensioner’s attempted erection. 

But United were indeed f***ed. Especially a few minutes later when David’s strike was pushed out by Lammens and Ademola Lookman reacted quicker than our traffic cone of a right-back to convert. 

Job done by the hosts, more clinical when needed. Simple as that. 

Carrick put his skipper out of his misery, maybe also with Leeds in mind, as Cunha got the last 10 minutes along with Maguire (for Heaven). 

In a (rugby) league of his own

Dalot put his second cross into no-man’s land - great if you’re playing the League of Rugby but not the League of Champions - while the hosts were content to sit in with numbers and look for the counter. 

Cunha saw a late effort saved, as if to punctuate United’s issues in front of goal, but even this result and performance (on the whole) didn’t feel like a disaster. 

It was better, or maybe it’s just that Saturday was so shit. But there was effort, legs (for most) and chances. 

But fail to capitalise in the CL and you’ll get burned. The hosts took their chances. 

You look at the defence and grimace, like when your mam used to hide veg in your mash on the Sunday dinner. 

And it’s not just Dalot - although he’s the main culprit.  

The sight of Matthijs de Ligt on the bench heartens me, he was in great form before his injury and can only improve us if he is fully fit. 

Air freshener needed

And surely Bruno must come through this rare bad patch, right? 

Less optimistic was Martinez, who went all-in in his post-match interview, pointing all his fingers towards Jason Wilcox for one, while also admitting his own performance had been questionable. 

“I expected more of our Technical Director… last season we did everything and created the base,” he barbed, while also claiming the squad was not Champions League-ready. 

I imagine that will be as popular as a fart in a lift.  

But the bad smell has a danger of turning into a stench. 

A win in West Yorkshire would go a long way to freshening the air.

MORE FROM ROBERT BORE: Man Utd analysis: Fans draw little comfort from point with 10-man Tottenham on home soil