Thirteen. That is where Manchester United sit after four Premier League games, and while there are genuine mitigating factors, there are also structural problems that no amount of excuses can paper over.
Four points from a 2-0 defeat at Hull, a 5-2 win over Ipswich, a 2-2 draw at Everton and Sunday's 1-0 home loss to City. Michael Carrick has work to do, and the table does not lie as much as United fans might hope.
The Derby Excuse Only Goes So Far
Yes, the Manchester City defeat carries context. United played a Champions League match against Sabah on the Thursday before Sunday's derby. City had 48 hours more rest after winning at Porto. Erling Haaland's winner was later confirmed by Pro Ref to be illegal, Enzo Fernández interfering with play in the buildup. The VAR, Matt Donohue, made the wrong call and has been stood down for this weekend's action.
Carrick is right to feel aggrieved about that decision, and he is right that it gives his squad something to channel heading into Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie against Brighton. But here is the thing: United had Phil Foden sent off after 23 minutes and still failed to generate a single threatening performance. For the first time in 12 home Premier League games under Carrick, they produced less than 1.0 xG. That is not a VAR problem. That is a football problem.
The same passive, toothless display had already shown itself in the opening defeat at Hull. When Andrey Santos partnered Youri Tielemans in midfield, United created close to nothing. The Kobbie Mainoo-Tielemans central axis is not working, and with Manuel Ugarte out long-term, there is no obvious fix available right now. As for Tielemans himself, by his own admission no other club triggered his £35m release clause at Aston Villa. As Belgium captain, United need considerably more from him.
[The atmosphere heading into Sunday's derby was already fractious](/uprise/football/febrile-manchester-derby-awaits-amid-growing-rift-between-united-fans), and the performance did nothing to calm the nerves around the club.
A Summer Window That Has Left United Short
Spend £148m and you would expect something to show for it. Santos has made one start, the Hull defeat, and disappeared. Tielemans has played all four league games and offered little. Carlos Baleba, the headline £65m signing, has not kicked a ball owing to injury and is not expected back until after the international break.
Meanwhile, United spent the entire summer chasing a left-back. Lewis Hall at Newcastle was the primary target. Myles Lewis-Skelly at Arsenal and David Raum at Leipzig were also considered. None of them arrived. Instead, £48m plus add-ons went on Santos, another midfielder for a squad that already had Mainoo and Ugarte. With Luke Shaw injured against City, Patrick Dorgu was deployed at left-back, a position he does not play. It was Dorgu's errant header that gifted City possession for the move that led to Haaland's goal.
That is not bad luck. That is a foreseeable consequence of a window that failed to address the most obvious need on the pitch. [United were not alone in making questionable decisions this summer](/uprise/football/premier-league-10-talking-points-from-the-weekends-action), but they may be paying the heaviest price.
The one bright spot is Benjamin Sesko, who scored against Everton off the bench and is United's joint third-highest scorer in the league. Matheus Cunha and Marcus Rashford have zero league goals between them from seven combined starts. Sesko starting regularly looks like a logical, overdue call.
Our verdict: The table slightly flatters the scale of the problem. The City loss was mitigated. The underlying issues are not. Carrick inherited a mess, rebuilt United's confidence last season, and deserves patience. But the window did him no favours, and the passiveness in midfield needs solving fast.