What is going wrong at Man United?

I suspect Manchester United manager Michael Carrick would like to start the season again, turn back the clock and replay the games against Hull, Everton, Manchester City and Fulham. United have made a difficult start and, after five Premier League games, have just five points.

There is already speculation about Carrick’s future and whether he has a limited number of games in which to turn things around. Supporters also quickly noticed that former Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, who spent five years at Old Trafford working with the academy and first team, was in the directors’ box for the Fulham match.

There have also been reports linking Antonio Conte with the job, but I am told that neither McKenna nor Conte is currently being spoken to about replacing Carrick. The message I am getting is that United intend to give Carrick more time, although the next few matches will be crucial.

Five points from five games represents United’s joint-worst start to a Premier League season and they have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup. Carrick wanted further additions to strengthen his squad during the summer but, importantly, he has not publicly criticised the club’s recruitment policy.

Ruben Amorim made the mistake of publicly linking some of United’s failures to director of football Jason Wilcox during his time in charge, and Amorim was gone within 48 hours.

However, the club must accept some responsibility for United’s current problems. Some of the midfield additions were not the players originally wanted, while there were also questions about providing adequate cover in other areas of the squad.

The team needed cover for the ageing Luke Shaw and another option in attack behind Benjamin Sesko, but those additions did not arrive. Sesko is now dealing with a recurrence of the shin problem that affected his pre-season, and his limited game time has made United’s attacking options even more difficult to manage.

One of Carrick’s main problems has been on the right wing, where Amad Diallo has also been injured. As a result, Bryan Mbeumo has been used wider rather than through the middle, while Matheus Cunha has at times been asked to operate as a false nine.

Joshua Zirkzee has also been used up front, but he is not a natural replacement for Sesko as a centre-forward. Cunha was a prolific goalscorer when he played for Wolves, but he is less effective when he cannot operate from the left and move inside towards goal.

After the Fulham game, former United right-back Gary Neville described the performance against Fulham as “pathetic”. That tells you something about the level of frustration around Old Trafford.

So who is to blame? A club that has been poorly managed, or a team that is simply not performing to its potential?

The international break gives United an opportunity to reset, recover some injured players and work on the problems that have become obvious during the opening

weeks. But unless there is a significant improvement, it could be a long season for United supporters — and one in which Carrick’s position will remain under scrutiny.

New-look Chelsea after the break

When the Premier League kicks off again in October, Chelsea could look like a completely different team.

Xabi Alonso is not used to failure and he knows that the return of some important players, together with others recovering from injury, could give Chelsea the opportunity to restart their season.

The manager has time during the international break to assess exactly what went wrong in the defeat by Brentford. Much of the problem has been attributed to missing players.

Chelsea have lost two and drawn one of their last three matches, and their midfield has looked less able to control games without Moisés Caicedo. One player does not make a team, but Caicedo’s absence has highlighted just how important his influence is.

Marco Palestra has yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea and has been unavailable, while Emmanuel Emegha has yet to appear for the club following his move from Strasbourg.

Fortunately for Alonso and Chelsea, Caicedo and Palestra were left out of their international squads during the break, giving them additional time to recover. Emegha is also in the same position.

João Pedro and Reece James missed the Brentford match but should be available again when Chelsea return to Premier League action. Cole Palmer was selected for England but withdrew with a muscular injury, giving him several weeks to work with Chelsea’s medical team before the restart.

Chelsea’s next league match is at home to Bournemouth on October 10. That could be an important moment for Alonso and his players.

Arsenal eye three players for January

The mood at Arsenal remains positive despite the 3-0 defeat at Brighton. Seven wins from their opening eight competitive matches had created plenty of optimism, but the Brighton performance was a reminder that even the best teams cannot afford to waste opportunities.

Arsenal’s recruitment team are already looking ahead to January and there is a feeling that the forward line could still be strengthened.

Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus have all left the first-team picture in different circumstances, while Ethan Nwaneri has also moved on loan. Christos Tzolis was one of the major attacking additions during the summer.

The sale of Martinelli, reported to be worth around £60 million, has given Arsenal additional funds to invest in the future.

Mikel Arteta is a big admirer of Argentina international Julián Álvarez and he remains a player who could interest Arsenal if he becomes available. Atlético Madrid have made it clear that they do not want to lose one of their major attacking players cheaply and any deal would be extremely expensive.

There is also interest in Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi, although his injury situation will need to be monitored carefully before any decision can be made.

Brentford’s Kevin Schade is another player being monitored. He has already scored three times this season and his contract situation could make him an interesting option if Arsenal decide that they need another attacking player in January.

The defeat at Brighton should not be allowed to obscure Arsenal’s excellent start, but it may have provided Arteta with a useful reminder that the forward line still needs to be ruthless.

Tottenham players need more mental and physical toughness

Once again Tottenham supporters suffered the disappointment of another defeat and their start to the Premier League season has been extremely poor.

Five games have produced only two points and a negative goal difference, while the 3-2 home defeat by Aston Villa has inevitably led to speculation about Roberto De Zerbi’s future.

I am told that Tottenham are prepared to back their manager for the immediate future rather than show him the exit door, but the situation will have to improve quickly.

The problem for Tottenham seems to be confidence and a lack of 90-minute resilience. Too often they appear to lose energy and concentration when a game begins to turn against them.

Mental toughness is vital in modern football. At Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has spoken about deliberately making elements of pre-season more demanding in order to expose his players to discomfort and pressure before competitive football began.

Tottenham have not yet shown the same resilience.

They can look very good when everything is going in their favour, but when something goes wrong they have struggled to respond. De Zerbi brought in experienced players in the hope that they would give the younger members of the squad greater confidence, but even those experienced players have made mistakes.

The scale of Tottenham’s summer investment means there can be few excuses. The club spent around £380 million rebuilding the squad, bringing in a mixture of established players and younger talent.

Now it is De Zerbi’s responsibility to turn that investment into a team with greater character and consistency. Tottenham’s next Premier League match is against Manchester United on October10. With both clubs desperate for a change in fortunes, it could be a fascinating meeting — and there will be consequences for whoever fails to turn things around.

Man City boss wants more from his team

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca was far from completely satisfied despite his team sitting three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

City have made a perfect start and defeated Sunderland 5-3 in a remarkable eight-goal match, but Maresca was clearly unhappy with the goals his team conceded.

“I would rather win 1-0 instead of 5-3,” he said. “Two of the three goals we conceded were far too easy.”

That tells you a great deal about Maresca. Even when City are winning and scoring freely, the manager is demanding greater defensive discipline.

Liverpool players have total respect for new boss

During pre-season Liverpool travelled to Nashville, Tennessee, and played in front of almost 25,000 supporters.

That was a huge occasion for the club and an indication of the worldwide interest that follows Liverpool wherever they go.

Successful managers moving from smaller clubs to bigger ones often discover that the pressure is completely different. The expectations of supporters, directors and players increase immediately.

Andoni Iraola faces exactly that challenge at Liverpool.

After three draws in their opening four league matches, Liverpool finally secured their second victory of the season by beating Iraola’s former club Bournemouth 1-0. Alexander Isak scored the only goal, maintaining Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the campaign.

Iraola is a very good coach and the early evidence suggests that Liverpool’s players respect his methods and his tactical knowledge.

Those who travelled on the pre-season tour were impressed by how much time he spends on the training pitch. He is constantly involved, whistle in his mouth, ball at his feet and interacting with individual players. He has even been known to take part in running and shooting exercises.

Players have described him as charming, friendly, approachable and calm. He spends considerable time working on movements and setting up sessions designed to develop the strategy he wants Liverpool to use.

At a high-profile club such as Liverpool there are always big characters in the dressing room and players with enormous influence.

The challenge for Iraola is to respect that influence while ensuring that he remains the manager and the team follows his ideas.

Modern footballers have enormous influence inside dressing rooms, and managing those personalities is as important as choosing the right formation.

Why Isak is alive this season with four goals already

Four goals in five Premier League matches for Alexander Isak is an impressive start — and already one more than his entire Premier League tally last season.

Under Iraola, Liverpool are playing more direct football, and that appears to suit Isak.

Liverpool are trying to move the ball forward more quickly and bring their forwards into the game as soon as possible. When Isak is involved in those moves, he is constantly running towards the penalty area and showing a sharpness that appeared to fade last season.

The club will be delighted with the early return on their substantial investment in the Swedish striker.

Cody Gakpo has shown a willingness to look for Isak, while the two have also worked closely together on the training ground. The relationship between Liverpool’s number nine and the attacking system Iraola is developing could become one of the most important aspects of the season.

Isak’s goal at Bournemouth was particularly significant because Liverpool had struggled to create clear chances. The striker produced the decisive moment when his team needed it most.

That is what Liverpool spent the money for.

If Iraola can continue to create the right conditions for Isak to attack quickly and receive the ball in dangerous positions, there is every reason to believe the striker can have a much more productive season.