Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez: Are Manchester United senior players letting Michael Carrick down?

Manchester United's capitulation astatine Stamford Bridge connected Saturday was the clearest representation yet of a nine eating itself from within.

A 2-0 decision to Chelsea, sealed aft Lisandro Martinez was sent disconnected for a rash situation connected Wesley Fofana, leaves Michael Carrick's broadside 17th successful the array and winless successful 9 matches crossed each competitions.

It besides lands 3 weeks into a play successful which 2 of United's elder players person publically questioned the manager and the club's hierarchy from wrong the dressing room.

The question present being asked astir Old Trafford is not whether United person a results occupation - that overmuch is evident - but whether the players themselves person go portion of it.

Manchester United: A fortnight of dissent

The unrest did not statesman astatine Stamford Bridge. It started connected 13 October, erstwhile United mislaid 2-0 to Atletico Madrid successful the Champions League and Martinez utilized his post-match interrogation to criticise the club's recruitment, singling retired manager of shot Jason Wilcox and saying helium expected much concern successful the squad.

He stopped abbreviated of an apology astatine first, but aft gathering Carrick and elder nine officials 2 days aboriginal helium apologised publicly; the nine is understood to person fined him.

A week later, it was Bruno Fernandes' turn. After a chastening 4-1 Champions League decision to Como connected 21 October, the skipper told TNT Sports that United had not pressed Como's defenders with capable intensity, adding that whether that amounted to criticism of Carrick's tactics was "on the manager and unit to see, not me."

Carrick responded by dropping Fernandes for the pursuing Premier League match, a 3-0 location decision to Bournemouth connected 25 October that extended United's winless tally to 8 games and near them 16th successful the array connected 7 points from 8 games, 1 constituent supra the relegation portion - their lowest points full astatine this signifier of a play since 1986-87.

Manchester United: How Stamford Bridge unravelled

Carrick and Fernandes held nonstop talks earlier the Chelsea travel successful an effort to gully a enactment nether the Como fallout, and the skipper was restored to the starting lineup.

For an hour, the reconciliation looked to beryllium working: United were the amended broadside for agelong periods of the archetypal half, with Fernandes, Amad and Matheus Cunha each missing presentable chances to instrumentality the lead.

The crippled turned aboriginal successful the 2nd half. Morgan Rogers divided United's defence and lifted a decorativeness implicit Senne Lammens to marque it 1-0, and minutes aboriginal Martinez caught Fofana with his limb from a Chelsea corner, earning a consecutive reddish paper and conceding a punishment that Cole Palmer converted.

Reduced to 10 men, United's absorption collapsed, and Chelsea spent the remainder of the lucifer squandering chances to widen the pb further.

Manchester United: The lawsuit for sabotage

To United's critics, the connection "sabotage" is not excessively strong.

Two elder players airing grievances astir the manager and the hierarchy wrong a three-week span, successful a play already defined by results, is work by immoderate arsenic a dressing country nary longer pulling successful 1 direction.

Jamie Carragher said connected CBS Sports that Martinez had been "bang retired of order" for calling retired the hierarchy, and took a akin presumption of Fernandes aft Como.

Wayne Rooney went further, labelling the existent squad "selfish" and accusing them of behaving similar children alternatively than owning their performances.

Rooney, portion defending Carrick personally, argued Fernandes' nationalist disapproval was a mode of deflecting from his ain driblet successful signifier this season, and said the signifier of players speaking retired risked fracturing the dressing country astatine the worst imaginable moment.

On this reading, Martinez's reddish paper - an undisciplined, arm-raised situation with United already connected apical - fits a wider taxable of elder players failing to amusement the power and restraint a manager nether unit needs from them.

Manchester United: The counter-case

There is simply a difference, though, betwixt vexation and sabotage.

Martinez's grievance was astir recruitment, not squad selection: helium wanted greater concern successful a squad helium felt had been near short, a presumption plentifulness of autarkic observers of United's bladed extent would recognise, and helium named nary team-mate successful making it.

Fernandes' critique of United's pressing against Como was echoed, not dismissed, by autarkic tactical investigation of the match, which recovered Fernandes himself was often the lone United subordinate applying sustained unit connected Como's defenders.

Neither subordinate has questioned Carrick's suitability for the occupation directly, and some episodes were followed by conciliatory gestures alternatively than escalation: Martinez's apology and fine, Fernandes' backstage talks with Carrick and restoration to the starting eleven for Chelsea, and Carrick's ain statement of the determination to driblet his skipper arsenic a shot 1 alternatively than a disciplinary one.

The club's hierarchy reviewed Carrick's presumption aft the Como and Bournemouth defeats and chose to backmost him alternatively than marque a alteration - hardly the behaviour of a committee being pushed toward the manager's exit by subordinate unrest.

And for each the speech of a fractured dressing room, United were comfortably the amended broadside for an hr astatine Stamford Bridge; what undid them successful the extremity was a infinitesimal of idiosyncratic indiscipline from Martinez, not a corporate capitulation.

Manchester United: Where it leaves Carrick

What is harder to quality is that United's results, not immoderate azygous comment, are what is driving the crisis.

Nine games without a win, a antiaircraft situation compounded by suspensions and injuries, and present a 17th-place lasting permission small country for Carrick careless of however agreed his dressing country is.

Sabotage implies intent; what Stamford Bridge showed was person to a squad debased connected confidence, abbreviated connected elder antiaircraft options, and incapable to spot retired a lucifer it had controlled for an hour.

The much pressing question for United is whether nationalist unrest and mediocre results commencement to reenforce each different - whether different atrocious week invites different outspoken interview, and different outspoken interrogation makes the adjacent atrocious week much likely.

The hierarchy has fixed Carrick much time. His players, for now, accidental they enactment him too. Saturday suggested that enactment unsocial volition not beryllium capable to crook results around.