ELLAND ROAD, LEEDS — Bruno Fernandes knocked back a request to talk from waiting journalists outside Elland Road, claiming he was "not allowed" to speak after Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Leeds.
A couple of minutes earlier, Matheus Cunha had been beckoned over by a Brazilian reporter who is well known to players at clubs in the northwest of England. Cunha greeted him warmly before a member of United's media team scampered after the Brazilian forward and said there would be no interview.
It's been another trying week at Old Trafford. Three games over the past eight days have yielded zero victories, extending an ongoing winless run to six matches. They have won two out of 10 overall this season, with just one of those in the Premier League. Seven points from seven matches is United's worst start to a season since 1986, when they won one and lost six of their first eight. That form ultimately led to Ron Atkinson being sacked as manager and being replaced by a certain Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson was in the stands to watch Michael Carrick's team throw away a first-half lead established via Bryan Mbeumo's well-worked goal. It added to a body of work not really worth shouting about. And, considering how far Lisandro Martinez went off grid in midweek when a few television reporters asked him, "What did you think of the game?" after the 2-0 loss at Atletico Madrid, United's gagging order on their players was not a complete surprise.
MORE: Leeds vs. Man United as it happened
Carrick: Leeds game a fresh start for Man United
It left manager Michael Carrick as the lone voice in the aftermath of the Leeds game. The United manager knew it was unwise to go too hard on the positives he identified given United's wider predicament. He also acknowledged the form slumps around this time of year that crucially undermined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, setting in motion the vicious cycle of hiring and firing that he is trying gamely to break.
"We're not accepting it as everything's great by any stretch; I'm realistic with that," Carrick said of United's start to the season, which has drained much of the feel-good factor he built up during the first half of 20206.
"Sometimes you do struggle; sometimes you have to find a way through it. We haven't really had to go through that yet, and you have to find a way through it. There has been a cycle here sometimes where it can go in different directions. We've got to be stable enough to keep doing the right things for the right reasons
"We're more than capable of winning football matches. It depends what you focus on. I understand that the situationtoooesn't look to good if you look at it a certain way, but I have no doubts that we can go on a good run."
Before the match, Carrick claimed he identified renewed hunger within his squad during training, and he believed this played out during a match when United drew the sting from the Leeds crowd and their opponents' physical approach.
"It felt like a bit of a fresh start today," he said. "Where we're at, accepting it and doing something about it. It definitely shows that the boys are desperate to do well, for each other as much as anything else."
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What did Michael Carrick change for Manchester United at Leeds?
Amid Martinez hitting out at United's board and recruitment policy in midweek, he also spoke about Carrick in terms that were hardly overwhelmingly positive.
"He does his best. But every season is different," the Argentina defender told Amazon Prime Video. "You can't stay with what you did last season. The teams know how you play; the teams know every detail. And if you don't change, next season it is a big problem."
At Leeds, Carrick did change. Summer arrivals Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos were paired together at the base of the midfield for the first time in a Premier League match. They started at Atletico and helped to stop the game from spinning out of control after Pablo Barrios gave Diego Simeone's side the lead inside a minute.
If Daniel Farke's in-form Leeds had been given similar encouragement early on, United would likely have been subsumed by Elland Road. But Carrick gave them plenty to think about.
Amad Diallo came in, ostensibly on the right-hand side of the attack, but the versatile Ivory Coast international dropped in to form a back five out of possession. Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes roamed as double false nines ahead of Baleba and Santos, meaning Leeds' muscular back struggled to grasp who to pick up on occasions.
This led to Mbeumo enjoying the space to plant a free header wide before the half hour. Leeds did not heed that warning from the Cameroon forward – far more at home attacking from the left than at centre-forward – and he found a smart finish to convert a wonderful Tielemans cross.
That's not to say this was some sort of freewheeling masterclass. Although United have improved since last weekend's shambolic 1-1 draw against Tottenham and Carrick has found proactive solutions to some of their problems, they have still recorded fewer than 1.00 xG (as per Opta) in each match since the international break.
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That's not ideal when your team is capable of the collective defensive malfunction that led to Dominic Calvert-Lewin's equaliser. This was set-piece defending at its most flimsy, with Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, Baleba and Mbeumo all culpable to some extent.
Como are up next in the Champions League, where Cesc Fabregas will be keen to lay out his credentials as a swashbuckling, innovative coach. Then it's Bournemouth, who have struggled at the start of this season but boast a very good recent record at Old Trafford.
That elusive win will be hard to come by. When it arrives, perhaps United's players will be allowed to tell us all about it.
