#1044 | Daniel and Dharnish review United’s 0-1 defeat at home to Man City. City were down to 10 men for most of the second half after Foden's red card. The goal itself should have been ruled out: Enzo Fernandez was offside and interfering with Martinez in the build-up. VAR waved it all through. 

United had spells of real control, especially with the extra man, but rarely looked like scoring without Sesko on the pitch as an actual centre-forward.

The biggest frustration is Carrick's team selection: leaving Sesko out for tactical reasons left nobody occupying the box. Taking Tielemans off after the goal made things worse by removing United's only real tempo-setter. 

There's a more uncomfortable argument too: that Maguire and Martinez's lack of pace makes Carrick's front-foot style impossible. One of Yoro or Heaven has to take over. 

Finally, a look ahead to Brighton in the League Cup and Fulham before the international break.

0:27 Intro: United 0-1 City

1:40 Team selection

5:46 Carrick's tactics: clogged middle, forced wide

24:01 VAR decision: goal that wasn't

40:51 Maguire, Martinez, Yoro and Heaven

47:07 Looking ahead: Brighton and Fulham

51:35 Wrap

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#1043 | The transfer window smashed Premier League spending records. The real story is how incestuous it all was: clubs buying from each other, squeezed by the same rules and looking to square their own books. United funded their window through a revolving credit facility and not player sales. They sold precisely nobody all summer.

Ed and Jamie dig into why, including a wage bill that is about to jump with three new signings, Rashford’s return and Champions League bonuses. 

Then a full tour of the league's finances: City and Chelsea both bankrolled by relentless trading, Villa turning their squad over for a tidy profit, Everton and Crystal Palace both looking primed for a sale and Spurs spending like a club that's given up on ever being bought. 

The pod closes on the outlook: United's transfer debt clears over the next 12 months, creating real flexibility next summer, just as Maguire, Shaw and a stack of big contracts come up for renewal.

0:28 Intro

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#1042 | Ed and Tom discuss United's return to the Champions League, which was a comfortable 4-0 win over Sabah, with the game effectively dead by half-time. It was about all we could ask from an opener like this. Sesko and Dorgu both impressed in changed roles up front and at left-back, reopening the debate over their role in the team.

Mainoo and Tielemans continue to look like United's best midfield pairing, with Tielemans's passing already taking pressure off Bruno and Mainoo demonstrating his all round game. 

There's also a word for the youth team's own win and 15-year-old JJ Gabriel's UEFA Youth League debut hat-trick.

The pod closes by previewing a much tougher test: Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday. 

0:28 Introduction

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#1041 | Ed and Dharnish dig into United’s draw with Everton. The buildup through Mainoo and Tielemans was as good as it's looked in years but Carrick’s side lacked any real box presence, with Cunha and Bruno both dropping deep. 

Defensively, United's press still isn't working, and disconnected lines left gaps that led directly to both Everton goals.

How can Carrick fit all his in-form attackers together without sacrificing the buildup that's making United so watchable?

Then there’s a preview of a huge week ahead: the Champions League opener against Sabah, then City at Old Trafford, where sitting deeper and playing on the counter looks like the best plan.

0:00 Intro: Everton 2-2 United

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#1040 | United led twice away at Everton through Mbeumo and Sesko only to do a very good job of chucking it away late on Merseyside.

The episode closes with author Dan Williamson, talking about his new book on United's 1991 Cup Winners' Cup win, If I Hadn't Seen Such Riches.

0:00 Introduction

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#1039 | United's transfer window closed with Dominic and Ed landing on a mixed verdict, somewhere around a six out of ten. United made three good midfield signings, but no left-back and no backup centre-forward. 

Who's going to fill the gap?

How much financial headroom was there to spend more?

And why were United cautious?

Deadline day itself produced a bizarre five-way standoff between United, Everton, Chelsea, Fiorentina and Monaco over Zirkzee, Camara and Balogun that ended with nobody getting what they wanted.

The pod then moves on to Everton, where the fanbase is angry and the manager is on their side. United should be favourites, but how will the visitors shape up after last week’s victory?

0:00 Introduction

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#1038 | Ipswich made a real go of it for a half, evading United's high press by exploiting isolated full-backs.

Once Lisandro Martinez started dictating United's patterns of possession into midfield, the game opened up completely and United ran away with it.

Ed and Dharnish dig into why United's press still isn't functioning, how much of the transformation in build-up play comes down to Martinez specifically and how well Mainoo and Tielemans dovetailed.

They also look at Cunha and Bruno rotating as false nines, question whether it costs United a real box presence and close with a positive verdict on Ipswich as a team for the rest of the season.

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#1037 | United trailed to Ipswich for a moment, but a hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire’s deflected effort and a Bryan Mbeumo goal turned it into a 5-2 win. It was a complete response to the opening-day defeat at Hull.

Ed and Dan dig into the bigger picture: how well the Tielemans-Mainoo midfield pairing worked, the ongoing debate over Marcus Rashford's role, and the club’s search for a new left-back.

The pod closes on the transfer window with two days left: there’s scepticism about Villa's reported £40 million interest in Amad and a general sense that United’s could have been more ambitious than a net spend that trails Coventry and Ipswich.

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#1036 | Ed and Dominic analyse United’s Champions League return. It’s a tough-looking draw with Bayern, Roma, and RB Leipzig at home. Then some cracking away ties in top European travel destinations.

From there it's on to the run-in to transfer deadline day, where the expectation is that a left-back arrives. Probably not the marquee name everyone's been hoping for. There’s also a wider question about why United never seem to be able to sell anyone for a decent fee.

There's a proper rant about the ex-United pundit circuit and how relentlessly negative it's become. It’s to the detriment of the club not its benefit.

The pod finishes with a preview of Ipswich at home and why this one matters more than it should after Hull.

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#1035 | Ed and Dharnish break down United's 2-0 defeat at Hull on the tactics show. Some of this was physical. Four starters had played one 90 or fewer all pre-season, and the lack of sharpness showed. But a lot of it was tactical too. 

There’s a cautiously optimistic look ahead to Ipswich: trust the system, cut down the aimless crossing and give the new midfield time to settle. 

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