Just last season, it finished third behind Arsenal and Manchester City and showed signs of competing for a title in the near future.
asserted
it → finish → future
Now it’s in disarray.
asserted
it → ’ → disarray
Much of the blame has been placed on manager Michael Carrick, who is expected to be relieved of his duties as soon as this week.
asserted
who → place → week
The most glaring issues are defensive, as United has conceded 19 goals in the Premier League.
asserted
United → concede → League
That’s the same number as newly promoted side Coventry City, whose squad costs about one-third as much as United’s.
asserted
squad → ’ → United
Injuries and lack of roster depth have forced the team to shuffle different combinations of players from game to game.
asserted
Injuries → force → game
Fans have bemoaned the club’s decision not to sign any new defenders over the summer.
asserted
Fans → bemoan → summer
Critics have also pointed to one of the simplest parts of the game — running.
asserted
Critics → point → game
Per Gradient Sports data, Manchester United is 19th out of 20 in the league in both distance covered and average maximum speed.
asserted
United → cover → distance
Statistics like those never tell the full story, but covering ground is essential to winning back the ball effectively.
asserted
covering → tell → ball
The situation has gotten so bad that even star midfielder Bruno Fernandes called out his team after a 4-1 loss at Como in Italy last month in the UEFA Champions League.
asserted
Fernandes → get → League
“It’s not the first time we started on the wrong foot and they scored very early,” said Fernandes, who was benched the next game for his comments.
asserted
who → ’ → comments
But while Carrick has received criticism, many fans don’t appear ready to completely turn on their manager, continuing to sing his name after recent defeats.
asserted
fans → receive → defeats
After all, Carrick was a beloved player for Manchester United who manned the proverbial engine room in midfield during the late 2000s — one of the most successful stretches in club history.
asserted
who → man → history
The supporters’ anxiety appears to be caused more by the players and ownership.
asserted
anxiety → appear → players
During the draw with Villa, fans chanted “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” at the 11 men on the field.
asserted
You → chant → field
Last week against AS Roma, fans released thousands of green and gold balloons — the colors the club wore at its founding in 1878 before it rebranded to red in 1902 — in protest of the Glazer family, which owns a majority interest in the club.
asserted
which → release → club
Fans also unfurled signs that read “We don’t want a new stadium, we want new owners,” and “Your funeral, not ours.
asserted
we → unfurl → owners
The escalating protests come just a week after Gary Neville, a former United player and one of the most prominent pundits in the sport, called for the Glazers to sell their stake.
asserted
Glazers → escalate → stake
Recent comments by co-owner Avram Glazer added fuel to the fire that the family doesn’t care about winning as long as its asset remains profitable.
asserted
asset → add → winning
Last week, an anonymous source from a September Deutsche Bank investment conference told The Athletic that Glazer said Manchester United can be commercially powerful without success on the field.
asserted
United → tell → field
The report said Glazer compared his club to American franchises like the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys, who have not won a Super Bowl for 30 years and counting.
asserted
who → say → years
Regardless of the on-field success, you can’t deny that the Glazers have overseen massive investment in the team.
asserted
Glazers → deny → team
Under their ownership over the last 20 years, Manchester United has spent more than $1.9 billion on player transfers, third most in the Premier League over that time.
asserted
United → spend → time
But since legendary manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, it hasn’t won the Premier League, while the top two spenders, Chelsea and Manchester City, have won two and seven titles, respectively.
asserted
spenders → retire → titles
Now, United is on the brink of firing its eighth manager since Ferguson and the third in the past three seasons.
asserted
United → fire → seasons
“Changing manager? What about other areas?” Manchester United center back Lisandro Martínez asked after a Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid last month, when Carrick’s job was still intact.
asserted
job → change → Madrid
He went on to say, “I expect more from our technical director,” referring to Jason Wilcox, who oversees transfer strategy.
asserted
who → go → strategy
Martínez apologized for his comments.
asserted
Martínez → apologize → comments
But executives like Wilcox are under mounting pressure, and they could soon face a fate similar to Carrick’s if things don’t turn around soon.
uncertain
things → mount → Carrick
The Aporia
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