Sky Sports Analysis: Manchester United's summer transfer market operations have left the squad thin, overly reliant on the same group of players, making it difficult for them to cope with the intensity of three games per week.

"This will put some pressure on Manchester United. They play Manchester City next week, and European competition starts midweek."

Carrick's words after Manchester United's 2-2 draw with Everton were quite prescient. Although it's only September, he was right. The pressure has fallen on Carrick, and this week suddenly feels like a turning point in the season.

When the 2024/25 Premier League fixtures were announced, Manchester United was statistically considered to have the six easiest opening games. Halfway through, they've dropped more points than they've gained.

The upcoming fixtures will only get tougher. As Neville said, Manchester United will play their first European match on Thursday night against Azerbaijani champions Qarabag, and three days later comes the first Manchester derby of the season.

Given the quality of these two opponents, Carrick is likely to rotate on Thursday. This will be the first time people truly see the depth of his squad, rather than just relying on the starting eleven. But is his bench deep enough?

The general consensus is that Manchester United's summer transfer operations have left the squad thin, overly reliant on the same group of players, making it difficult for them to cope with the intensity of three games per week.

According to Transfermarkt, Manchester United actually has the second-largest squad in the Premier League. However, the problem lies in the unbalanced structure of the squad.

They have the most backup options in attack, but their midfield depth ranks only 8th, and defensive depth ranks 10th. Looking at specific positions, right-back depth is 9th, while left-back depth is 18th. Left-back has always been a key talking point, as Luke Shaw's injury history has long posed a hidden risk at this position.

However, they have only themselves to blame for this issue. Since 2022, only Everton and Liverpool have invested less in defence than Manchester United.

The unbalanced squad structure is a major problem, and another major issue is the clear gap between the starting eleven and the team after substitutions.

Despite apparent financial constraints at the club, an undeniable fact is that Manchester United's net spending since 2022 is the highest among all Premier League teams. Yet that money has not translated into a squad with genuine positional competition.

Looking purely at the Everton match, Carrick made his first substitution at 70 minutes. The data comparison below shows some important changes from that point on, and how the data would have looked had Manchester United maintained the same performance level in the first 70 minutes.

In simple terms, after the substitutions, Manchester United's style of play changed. The team appeared more in the opponent's half, but this did not lead to more efficient attacking, as the quality of their passing in the final third dropped, and the number of chances created also decreased.

Their involvement in duels was also lower, which in turn brought pressure back on themselves, allowing more opportunities to the opponent. It's clear that Everton was pushing for a goal at that point, and the situation was inherently different from the first 70 minutes, so the final 20 minutes couldn't be exactly the same. But it also shows that when Carrick used backup players, they failed to deliver adequate performance. Sesko is obviously an exception, but one substitute who changes the game doesn't indicate the team has sufficient squad depth.

This trend wasn't just apparent against Everton, but also against Hull City.

You might look at these statistics and think: "Manchester United actually played better after the substitutions." But among the starting eleven against Hull City, four were rested for the next two matches. Carrick had to rotate more early in the season because players were still building their fitness. The substitutions in that match also brought the team closer to the lineup that would be used against Ipswich and Everton.

This is the problem. Even if Carrick changes fewer than half the team, performance still drops. The key players have no choice but to push themselves, otherwise Carrick will be exposed to risk this week, and even throughout the entire season.

Yoro, Dorgu, Amass, and Zirkzee have an excellent opportunity on Thursday night to prove their worth in the squad.

Everyone wants to play in the derby, of course, but the first European match must start well. If selected, the pressure on them will be as great as on the main players who are likely to start against Manchester City.

Neville spoke about Carrick needing to win the fans' confidence. The same applies to the players mentioned above. Winning the first Champions League match will provide temporary relief to many; if they underperform, the anxiety at Old Trafford will only continue to grow.

Traduzido por IA.

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