Manchester United's crisis deepens before trip to Leeds

Manchester United travel to historic rivals Leeds on Sunday with pressure mounting on manager Michael Carrick, after their worst Premier League start in 40 years.

United have won just one of their first six league games and were knocked out of the League Cup by Brighton last month, The Express Tribune reported, citing AFP. They lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Martinez lashes out

The club was plunged further into chaos when defender Lisandro Martinez attacked its leadership over a lack of investment after the Atletico defeat. The Argentine took aim at technical director Jason Wilcox after United added only three midfielders in the transfer window.

But Martinez himself has been among those most to blame for the poor start, with his part in goals conceded to Fulham and Tottenham in recent weeks.

Carrick under pressure

Carrick is at growing risk of becoming the latest manager unable to reverse United’s decline since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Leeds last beat United at Elland Road in 2002, but did inflict the only home defeat of Carrick’s interim spell last season, in April.

“What a great game (on) Sunday to prepare for. It’s a fantastic game for us, for the club, for the history, for the supporters,” Carrick said. “We’ll be ready for that.”

City’s cloud

At the top, Manchester City have won all six league games, but that may count for nothing if they fail to overturn a guilty verdict on more than 100 charges of breaking Premier League financial rules. City deny wrongdoing, and the case, which began eight years ago, has at least a few months left before an appeal is heard and any sanction announced.

“My underlying thought is none of this is good for football and there are no winners,” said former England manager Gareth Southgate.

City beat Liverpool 3-0 last weekend and fought back in the second half before losing 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. They can go six points clear when Ipswich visit on Saturday.

Brighton’s rise

Brighton, who could be among the biggest winners if City are heavily punished, are just two points behind second-placed Arsenal. They inflicted Arsenal’s only defeat of the season, 3-0, thanks to owner Tony Bloom’s data-driven recruitment.

“We want to be ruthless,” said manager Fabian Hurzeler before Sunday’s derby against Crystal Palace. “We have to keep building this together with our fans and not be the nice football club anymore.”

The weekend fixtures

• Saturday: Everton v Chelsea, Fulham v Hull, Brentford v Liverpool, Manchester City v Ipswich, Newcastle v Aston Villa
• Sunday: Brighton v Crystal Palace, Leeds v Manchester United, Bournemouth v Sunderland, Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Why it matters

United’s slide is now one of the biggest stories in English football, and a defeat at Elland Road could decide Carrick’s future. Read our reports on PSG’s win at Manchester City and on City’s appeal against the Premier League ruling.

This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune and AFP.