There are fixtures on the Premier League calendar that carry obvious glamour, and there are fixtures that matter simply because of where both clubs find themselves. Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur, kicking off at 5.30pm at Old Trafford and live on Sky Sports, falls firmly into the second category. United go into it 12th with five points from five games. Tottenham arrive bottom of the table with two points from the same number, their worst start to a Premier League season since 2008-09. Something has to give, and both Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi know it.
A Shared Problem, Different Severity
Carrick’s position has been the subject of growing debate since the international break began, not because anyone inside Old Trafford is actively plotting a change, but because five points from five domestic games is a thin return for a club that still talks about Champions League football as a minimum requirement. Asked this week whether conversations were taking place above him about his future, Carrick did not pretend otherwise. “Yeah, there’s always conversations going on, of course,” he said, adding that there were “layers above me as well in terms of conversations and where we’re at.” It was a candid answer rather than a defensive one, and it tells its own story about the pressure building around a manager who has lost to Manchester City and Hull City already this season.
De Zerbi’s situation is more acute. Tottenham have taken just two points from five matches, a defeat and two draws followed by a chastening 3-2 home loss to Aston Villa before the break, and their goal difference of minus six is the worst in the division. The Italian has overseen a significant summer rebuild at the club, bringing in players such as Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham used a recent Fan Advisory Board meeting to publicly back him, saying the changes made “might take time to take full effect” and expressing confidence in De Zerbi, the new signings and the direction of travel. That is the sort of statement a club makes when it wants to calm nerves rather than fuel them, but it only works for so long if results do not follow. De Zerbi himself has not hidden from the problem, calling the goals conceded against Villa “unacceptable” and urging his players to show more fight.
There is a wider backdrop to Tottenham’s struggles too. Richarlison’s relationship with the club has reportedly broken down beyond repair, with a January exit now widely expected, and De Zerbi has made clear the Brazilian is not part of his plans. It leaves Spurs short of attacking options at a time when they can least afford it, and adds to the sense of a squad still finding its shape under a manager trying to implement a clear idea in difficult circumstances.
Injuries Leave Both Squads Stretched
Neither manager will have a full hand to play. United have been hit hard, with Patrick Dorgu expected to be out for several weeks, Benjamin Sesko not yet ready to return, and Manuel Ugarte still a long term absentee following a knee injury. Noussair Mazraoui is a doubt after picking up a knock, while Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo have all trained but did not feature in a recent behind closed doors friendly, leaving their availability unclear going into the weekend. Matthijs de Ligt made his return in that same friendly after almost a year out with a back problem, though he is unlikely to be risked from the start. One player who may get his chance is Carlos Baleba, the club’s big summer signing, who could be in line for his first Premier League start after taking part in that friendly and continuing to build fitness.
Tottenham have their own list of concerns. Mykhaylo Mudryk, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert remain sidelined, and Pedro Porro withdrew from Spain’s squad during the break with a hamstring problem that rules him out, with Archie Gray the likely option to fill in at right back. There was better news in one respect: Dejan Kulusevski, who has not played in well over 500 days because of injury, has taken part in full training and could be close to a return, even if a role from the start at Old Trafford still looks unlikely. Micky van de Ven has recovered from a finger injury, while Jan Paul van Hecke faces a late fitness test, with Marcos Senesi and Tosin Adarabioyo both available as alternatives at the back.
What a Result Would Mean
For United, victory would ease the questions around Carrick, at least for a week, and move them above a Tottenham side they would expect to be competing with for a top half finish rather than looking down on from a distance. A repeat of the kind of defensive mistakes that have cost them points against Hull City and Manchester City this season would do the opposite, and with Antonio Conte’s name already being floated by some reports as a potential alternative, another poor result would only add fuel to speculation that nobody at the club has yet confirmed.
For Tottenham, this is close to a must not lose game in all but name. A fourth defeat in five would leave them deep in relegation form barely two months into the season, and however patient Venkatesham and the Tottenham board are prepared to be in public, that patience tends to have limits once form this poor becomes an established pattern rather than a rough start. A positive result at Old Trafford, by contrast, would be the kind of away performance that genuinely changes the mood around a club that has had precious little to celebrate so far.
Both sides know exactly what is riding on this one. Old Trafford should be worth watching for reasons that have nothing to do with glamour and everything to do with two clubs trying to find their way out of a difficult start to the season.
If you enjoy honest, properly researched football writing like this, consider subscribing to It Was Always… Football for more of the same.