Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show

Another weekend, another deflating performance in what has been a hugely disappointing start to the new season. Mateus Cunha's late equaliser may have rescued a point but does it do anything for the mood of fans who had been optimistic after the end of term surge last time around.

As media commentators dig through the potential causes of this season's struggles, the running stats have become a hot topic. We look at those, and others, to try and get a firmer grasp on what is going wrong and how improvements can be found.

And, as we go into a three-week international break followed by a tough run of fixtures, we look at Michael Carrick's reaction to recent results, whether a tactical switch is in the offing, and try to muster some optimism about an October reboot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Brighton fought back from an early two-nil deficit at Old Trafford on Wednesday night they were the first team to achieve that feat in fifty years but the mood around the game and the performance felt much more recent. We try to shake off the deja vu of it all and work out why the spark wasn't there despite Shea Lacey's cracking early goal.

Michael Carrick has now lost two consecutive games for the first time as manager. Out of the EFL Cup and with just Fulham to play in the league before a lengthy international break, it feels like there is a growing list of issues for the coaching team to contend with... not all of them fix-able with a Carlos Baleba.

Adding insult to insult, club executives are also having to deal with the potential exit of youth team star JJ Gabriel in a very public way. The 15 year-old has asked to have his registration annulled with interest from major clubs in Europe and it looks likely he will leave... what does that mean for the United academy?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not the result we wanted for our first ever post-match livestream, not by a long stretch.

What started off as a normal derby flipped its energy dramatically when Phil Foden was sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes; but, if you thought that decision would be the controversy of the day, you were wrong. Erling Haaland gave Manchester City the lead despite a VAR review and the failure to call for an on-pitch review has prompted a statement from the Professional Referees Organisation calling it an 'error of judgement'.

Ultimately, though, the team have little justification in blaming referees for the defeat; a lacklustre performance saw them create very few good chances against ten men and those they did were squandered. It's now officially a disappointing start to the season and there is significant pressure to get results against Brighton in the League Cup and Fulham in the league before the international break.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Champions League football returned to Old Trafford on Thursday night and it was... well, it was a routine win against a Sabah team that passed neatly and competed for half an hour but, ultimately, didn't have enough to trouble Manchester United.

Instead, we'll concentrate primarily on this Sunday's Manchester derby. It's one of the more hotly anticipated renewals with plenty of interest and intrigue in both red and blue camps. Enzo Maresca will choose from an expensively assembled set of summer signings... but will City have the same vulnerabilities as they did for Michael Carrick's first game back in the manager's job in January?

United's team selection will be interesting as well; Matheus Cunha scored his first Champions League goal on Thursday night, but will he get the nod ahead of Rashford or Sesko? It seems unlikely. Further back it could be a big game for Lisandro Martinez who gave a good account of himself in the last derby.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It isn't the Premier League start anyone wanted. One win and just four points from what looked like three of the season's less challenging fixtures sees fan anxiety threatening to creep in.

There were positives at Everton, excellent goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko and the continuation of very encouraging signs on the left side through Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford.

Two late equalisers conceded, though, whatever you make of the defending, does leave a sense of stalled momentum after Ipswich. Thursday's game against Champions League newcomers will now hopefully see some of that restored going into derby weekend.”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A complete rebuild of the Manchester United midfield had already been done when the UK's transfer deadline day arrived this week so the focus switched to players who could deputise for Luke Shaw at left back and Benjamin Sesko as a target-man centre forward.

In the end, despite exploring the viability of several targets, the club's decision makers opted not to buy. We take a look at squad depth and try to assess how much of a gamble it was to 'keep the powder dry'. Meanwhile, this weekend's opposition Everton are a potential powder keg after the sale of Iliam Ndiaye and an unsuccessful eleventh-hour bid for Josh Zirkzee.

Joining us to look ahead to that Everton game and the start of United's WSL campaign is Cerys Jones who is now working on The Athletic's Manchester United coverage. The WSL campaign may be tough for Eva Olid and her squad after high profile departures. The opening fixtures, including Friday's trip to star-studded London City Lionesses, represent a baptism of fire for the new manager.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester United started their Old Trafford campaign a little better than they did on the road; Ipswich may have taken the lead but, in the end, the goals rained in with a third United hat-trick for Bruno Fernandes, one for Bryan Mbeumo, and a perfectly legal own goal deflected in from Harry Maguire's skewed shot.

Bruno grabbed all the headlines, of course, but we take a closer look at the performances of two Carrington graduates; Kobbie Mainoo stepped into midfield and he impressed Maguire with his physical work, and the rest of us by dictating the pace of play.

And, of course, this game saw the return of Marcus Rashford... Now wearing number nine, the left winger looked sharp and inventive in attack, but also showed the work-rate he may need to display to convince some fans of his desire to succeed back at United.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're live-streaming again for Manchester United's Champions League draw. No prizes for guessing the fixtures, sure you know them by know, but enjoy the ride as we discover exciting trips to Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

In amongst the fun, we look ahead to a pretty important Premier League game against Ipswich at Old Trafford, and of course there are only a few days left until the summer transfer window 'slams' shut. Josh Zirkzee may be leaving, but who might come in to replace him?

We also compare United's measured strategy to the money spent by other PL clubs in recent days. Is it by choice or necessity, and is it wise?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, that wasn't the plan at all... Manchester United were beaten 2-0 at Hull City on the opening day of the new Premier League season, and we have to launch ourselves into the new campaign with another post-mortem.

Did Hull's leadership decode United's weaknesses from pre-season, especially the defeat to AC Milan, or were Carrick's men simply undercooked? The manager certainly pushed back on the idea that his side lacked passion but there were more questions than answers on Saturday despite a strong-looking bench.

With Carlos Baleba's arrival pending final checks we talk about those left-back targets again, but... might a striker be higher on the list of priorities now? Whatever happens, United should have enough for Ipswich at home but we'll discuss that in more detail when we go live again for the Champions League draw on Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talk of the Devils streamed live to the four corners of the globe for the first time on the eve of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

The headline news is that a deal is progressing between Manchester United and Brighton for the transfer of defensive midfielder Carlos Baleba. The Athletic's David Ornstein reported 'amicable' negotiations on Wednesday, and Carl is happy, but will the transfer dealings end with an agreement for this long-term target.

Baleba won't face Hull City with the rest of Michael Carrick's squad, we can be fairly certain of that, but there are high hopes of an emphatic United win as the Tigers return to the top tier for the first time in a decade.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.