No Question About That - a Manchester United podcast

#1069 | Michael Carrick has been sacked as Manchester United manager and the money is flowing toward Mauricio Pochettino. Ed and Adam discuss a process that has never looked coherent. They weigh the case for and against Pochettino, why Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann, and Antonio Conte look less likely, and what a new manager could mean for Bruno Fernandes’s future.

Picking the manager is the easy part. The new man inherits the same sporting department, the same CEO, and the same owners who promised not to oscillate between styles. Surely the sporting director has to go too. No promise of a fresh vision can be backed without proof.

0:00 Carrick sacked: who’s next?
1:58 A shambolic process
3:21 Pochettino emerges as favourite
7:49 Case for and against Poch
18:32 Eddie Howe and Nagelsmann
22:50 Conte
26:49 Bruno’s future
31:33 Fuck these owners

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#1068 | Michael Carrick has been sacked as Manchester United manager, according to reports late on Monday night. United had not confirmed it at the time of recording.

Ed and Dharnish record an emergency pod to discuss how it came to this. Carrick earned his shot at the job last season but was left short in the summer. He then tried to evolve the team to a ball-dominant, high-pressing approach that never worked. Injuries, unhappy players, and a drop in Bruno Fernandes’s form turned a poor start into a relegation fight.

The bigger story is the ownership. The next manager inherits the same owners, the same CEO, the same director of football, and no clear criteria for hiring and firing. Who exactly is making the decisions at United? And more importantly, why would anyone trust them?

0:00 Breaking: Carrick sacked
1:27 How did we get here?
3:55 Sold short in the summer
6:37 Tactical experiment that failed
12:53 Bruno’s form and the data
15:19 The environment and Ratcliffe
22:27 Broken decision-making at the top
29:21 What happens next

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#1067 | Manchester United and Aston Villa played out a 4-4 Premier League draw at Old Trafford. It was chaos on the pitch while fans protested in the stands. United twice trailed by two goals and twice came back in dramatic fashion. Ed and Dan discuss.

There’s plenty to go over, from Michael Carrick’s cautious selection to some horrendous defending. But a sliver of light in United’s attack is finally scoring goals regularly.

Yet, with one win in the league, pressure remains on Carrick a quarter into the season. Will United change the manager? It seems like there’s very little impetus to do so. Howe, Conte, Pochettino, Nagelsmann are all waiting in the wings. Who exactly is making the decisions at the top? Nobody it seems.

0:00 Intro: 4-4 at Old Trafford


1:19 Two down in four minutes


4:13 United’s team selection


9:39 Have we infected the goalkeeper?


11:21 Old Trafford crowd


16:00 Build-up play and Fernandes


30:45 System or individual errors?


32:11 Who replaces Carrick?


45:45 Wrap-up

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#1066 | Manchester United beat Roma, lost to Chelsea and face Aston Villa at the weekend in what could be Michael Carrick’s last game. Ed and Dharnish break down all three. What worked in the first half at Chelsea, with United overloading midfield and finding space behind Chelsea’s new full-backs. Why do Carrick’s full-backs keep pushing so high while the team is in crisis? And why did that leave United two down against Roma’s man-to-man press?

Then the turnaround. What changed after half-time against Roma: Cunha central, United overloaded the right, Shea Lacey committing defenders. With Baleba injured, who plays in midfield now? And how do United cope with Villa’s physicality and Emery’s mid-block?

0:00 Roma, Chelsea and a Villa test


1:00 What worked against Chelsea


2:10 Overloading Chelsea’s midfield


4:04 Red card, implosion, Amad’s end product


5:25 Pressing high in crisis mode


10:32 Roma: how United went two down


16:07 Old Trafford comeback

4:02 Villa preview: midfield battle

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#1065 | Manchester United finally won, beating Roma 3-2 after nine games without a victory. Ed and Daniel pick through the comeback from two goals down. There are plenty of issues to discuss.

Although United started the game poorly, was it the first time all season the team looked balanced? Tielemans played a part in the winner, how will Baleba’s injury impact the team and has Leny Yoro made a case for a place at centre-back? Is Amad’s spot now Lacey’s to take? Can Cunha build on his goals when confidence has been short this season?

Then the conversation widens. A green and gold balloon protest opened the night. Do protests change anything with owners who rarely face the public?

With Aston Villa on Sunday possibly Michael Carrick’s last game, who might replace him: Emery, Nagelsmann, Conte, or Eddie Howe? And with United 17th in the Champions League table, what do they need to reach the playoffs?

0:27 Victory over Roma
2:25 Comeback and Team Balance
5:34 Centre Back Issues
7:57 Amad vs Lacey
11:22 Midfield Problems
15:34 Pressing and Penalties
26:21 Ownership, Protests
49:03 Villa Preview

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