Before a match against Chelsea on Saturday, an opinion piece set out what Michael Carrick must do to save his Manchester United job. Carrick remained at the helm after speculation, and Manchester United were due to play Chelsea on Saturday.
Fernandes situation
Sports Illustrated characterised Fernandes as having publicly criticised Carrick's gameplan after a 4–1 defeat at Como. Sports Illustrated also reported that Fernandes and Carrick had supposedly cleared the air that week. The same outlet said Fernandes was poised to return to the starting lineup on Saturday.
Left-side options
Luke Shaw had already missed multiple games due to various setbacks. Diogo Dalot lined up as Shaw's replacement on Sunday.
Youth alternatives
Shea Lacey had appeared off the bench in back-to-back games. Harry Amass had earned two senior appearances that season.
Martínez's words
As Lisandro Martínez said during his rant after the defeat to Atlético Madrid: "Every season is different. You can’t stay with what you did last season. The teams knows how you play, they know every detail, if you don’t change next season [it] is a big problem."
