“I will hold that umbrella for me to get wet and everyone else to stay dry.”
— Michael Carrick, Friday
Michael Carrick knows the rain is coming. On Friday, the Manchester United head coach gave one of the most emotional press conferences Old Trafford has heard in years.
He admitted the club had “lost our way a little bit,” insisted “entitlement cannot be at this football club,” and promised to take the blame himself so his players could stay clear of it.
On Sunday afternoon, his team faces the opponent he would least have chosen for a must-win game.
Bournemouth haven’t lost to United in six Premier League meetings. The last three ended level, including an eight-goal thriller at Old Trafford last season.
And Marco Rose’s side arrive on their best run of form this season.
For United, it’s simple: win, or the questions get louder.
How did it get this bad?
Seven league games, one win, seven points. That’s United’s worst start to a top-flight season since 1986-87, and the numbers around it are just as bleak:
7 games without a win in all competitions, the longest run since 2015
0 Premier League clean sheets all season
3 home games in a row without a win
4-1: Wednesday’s Champions League defeat at Como, called a new low for the season
The week got messier after Como.
Captain Bruno Fernandes reportedly criticised Carrick’s tactics. Asked about it on Friday, Carrick wouldn’t say whether his skipper would start: “Most important for me is the team, first and foremost, the squad and the dynamics in the squad.” Club sources told the BBC that Fernandes keeps the armband and won’t be fined.
There are some reasons for hope. Bryan Mbeumo has four league goals and looks like United’s sharpest attacker.
Leny Yoro is back from suspension, and Ayden Heaven has recovered from illness.
Bournemouth: confident at home, leaky on the road
Rose replaced Andoni Iraola in the summer, and his side has two very different faces.
At home they’ve been excellent: three straight wins at the Vitality, including a 3-0 thrashing of AC Milan that put them joint-top of their Europa League group, and a 2-0 win over Sunderland last weekend.
Evanilson has scored in each of his last three games, and Marcus Tavernier leads the club with five goals in 11 games.
Away from home it’s another story. Bournemouth have conceded nine goals in three away league games and have won only once in the league all season.
They sit 15th, just a point behind United.
Old Trafford doesn’t scare them, though. They’ve taken seven points from their last three visits.
Team news
Manchester United
Out: Kobbie Mainoo (muscle), Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu (hamstring), Manuel Ugarte (knee, long-term), Benjamin Sesko (shin)
Late fitness tests: Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez
Back: Leny Yoro (suspension), Ayden Heaven (illness)
Watch: whether Fernandes starts after his post-Como comments. Joshua Zirkzee could lead the line with Sesko out.
Bournemouth
Out: Alex Toth (hamstring), Alex Scott and Julian Araujo (thigh)
Doubtful: Evanilson has a minor knock but is expected to start
Back in training: Junior Kroupi, after foot surgery, could feature from the bench
Predicted Man Utd XI: Lammens; Yoro, Maguire, De Ligt, Dalot; Tielemans, Baleba; Amad, Fernandes, Rashford; Mbeumo
Predicted Bournemouth XI: Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Adams, Christie; Rayan, Cook, Tavernier; Evanilson
The key battle: United’s midfield vs Bournemouth’s counter
Bournemouth’s best moments come when they win the ball and break fast.
Tavernier drifts inside, Evanilson pins the centre-backs, and the full-backs pour forward. United’s midfield pair will be under huge pressure to protect a defence that hasn’t kept a league clean sheet yet.
Going the other way, Bournemouth’s away record shows they leave gaps. If United can get Mbeumo running at Truffert’s side early, the home crowd will find its voice. If they can’t, the boos may start before half-time.
Head-to-head
Last 6 league meetings
Bournemouth 2 wins, 4 draws, United 0
Last 3 meetings
All draws
Last United win in this fixture
2022-23
Bournemouth at Old Trafford
7 points from their last 3 visits
The odds
Market
Fractional
Decimal
Man Utd win
5/4
2.25
Draw
11/4
3.75
Bournemouth win
12/5
3.40
Draw & both teams to score
7/2
4.50
Mbeumo to score
2/1
3.00
Odds from UK bookmakers at the time of writing. Check your bookmaker’s latest prices.
XScore verdict
Everything about this fixture points to goals at both ends. United haven’t kept a clean sheet all season. Bournemouth leak goals away from home but have scored in every recent meeting with United. Three straight draws between these sides is no fluke: they cancel each other out.
United should start fast on adrenaline after Carrick’s speech. But nerves, a shaky defence and Bournemouth’s counter-attack make it hard to trust them as 2.25 favourites.
Prediction: Man Utd 2-2 Bournemouth
Best bets:
Draw & both teams to score: 4.50. The value pick, given the last three meetings
Both teams to score. The safer option for accumulators
Bryan Mbeumo to score: 3.00. United’s most reliable source of goals
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