On the back of Manchester United's worst start to a league season in 40 years, their midweek 4-1 defeat to Como piled even more pressure on Michael Carrick. As if the results aren't bad enough, it feels like every time a United player speaks to the media, they're throwing salt in the wound. Whether it's Bruno Fernandes publicly questioning the manager's tactics or Lisandro Martínez criticising the club's recruitment, neither is doing Manchester United any favours.
Two separate remarks, neither of them good.
We're not in the dressing room, so we can't say with any degree of certainty what's going on behind closed doors, but the optics aren't looking good. A Manchester United manager and a Manchester United captain are almost having a war of words in the media. Fernandes started by questioning the decision not to press Como man-to-man, and Carrick responded by making the point that whatever tactics you play, if you don't run back, you're not going to win. This is one of the biggest clubs in world football we're talking about here.
Duncan Ferguson, who will get an honourable mention later in this piece, made an excellent point on The Overlap Daily. He compared Fernandes to a captain trying to jump off a sinking ship, when really the captain should be standing alongside his manager right until the end. I thought that was a great analogy, and one I thoroughly agree with.
Fernandes is far from captain material, in my opinion, and this is just the latest thing that highlights it. I can never get out of my head him giving up at Anfield when Liverpool beat United 7-0. Stefan Bajčetić beat him down the line and he simply stopped, started walking, completely giving up. A Manchester United captain giving up at Anfield. He should have been stripped of the captaincy for that alone.
Graeme Souness, one of the most legendary captains in English football history, has also questioned Fernandes' suitability as captain. He's spoken about the way Fernandes throws his arms around when things aren't going his way, rather than leading by example. Coming from somebody like Souness, that carries a lot of weight.
I don't agree with what either player has done in public, but what I will say is that Michael Carrick looks out of his depth at Manchester United. He will be the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season.
Rio Ngumoha: A Natural on the Right
After the first couple of games of the season, the experiment of Rio Ngumoha on the right wing looked like it was going to be no more. He didn't play well, but he wasn't the only one. He looked short of confidence, unsure whether to stick or twist, and at times didn't seem to know the correct positions to take up. And that was that. He was back on the bench.
The change in the last couple of weeks, though, has been something quite remarkable. What a talent on the right wing he looks. Huge credit to Rio, the manager and the coaching staff, because he now looks a complete natural. He looks like he's always played there. When he's in full flow, I struggle to think of a better dribbler in the Premier League. High praise for an 18-year-old, but when you're talking about raw dribbling ability, who's better when he's playing like that?
I felt sorry for the Villarreal left-back, and he was getting help. Sometimes two men, sometimes three, but it made no difference. Rio had him on toast. On one occasion, he beat two defenders anyway, such was the influence he was having on the game.
I saw somebody on social media compare him to John Barnes, and it doesn't get much higher praise than that.
Florian Wirtz: His Best Week in a Liverpool Shirt
It's been Wirtz's best week in a Liverpool shirt, no doubt about that. Two assists and one goal across three consecutive appearances. This has been one of the main criticisms of Wirtz since his arrival: he doesn't get the numbers. But this week is certainly a step in the right direction.
He had a great game against LASK, although the opposition was very limited. He did show his class in that game. Against Brentford, he got an assist for the equaliser in a match that Liverpool went on to take three points from. Jamie Carragher analysed this on Monday Night Football, and at first glance, what Wirtz did looked simple: an easy ball into space.
But as Carragher highlighted, it was Wirtz's awareness that made the difference. He was constantly scanning as the ball was arriving, looking at what was around him, knowing where the defender was and what space was behind him. Then came a good first touch, followed by the ball into space for Víctor Muñoz.
The great work was done with his awareness and first touch. The easy part was the assist itself, just dropping the ball into space and using Muñoz's pace. It was an outstanding bit of play that led to a hugely important equaliser.
Against Villarreal, Wirtz again showed some nice touches, but more importantly, he scored a great goal. A really good finish, something we know he's capable of producing.
We need to see more of this now. More goals and more assists, because he's got the talent. He just needs to deliver on a far more regular basis.
Ballon d'Or: Kane or Yamal?
The Ballon d'Or looks like it's going to be a toss-up between Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal. Kane had a sensational season. An unbelievable number of goals, outstanding passing ability and the cleverness of a real top striker. He's a likeable guy as well, never in the news for the wrong reasons. A proper professional who has worked hard at his game to get where he is.
But he's up against the most talented player in the world, in my opinion: Lamine Yamal.
Yamal is the full package, no doubt about that. His passing, his dribbling, his technique, his touch. He's got everything. He seems to make the correct decisions all the time, and without doubt, he's one of the most talented players ever at the young age of 19. Possibly even the best.
A World Cup and a European Championship to go with three league titles at 19. A key player for a very good Barcelona side and the best international side in the world, Spain. It's quite remarkable what he's achieved already.
I haven't really got a preference. Either way, I'd be happy for Harry Kane, and if it's Yamal, he'll make history as the youngest Ballon d'Or winner ever. It's something I'll be watching closely.
A Word on Duncan Ferguson
One last thing. I've been listening to the new Overlap Daily show, and Duncan Ferguson has been a fantastic addition. He's a no-nonsense pundit, straight to the point, and a real football man. You can hear how much passion he's got for the game in the way he talks about it.
I've really enjoyed listening to him, and I'd like to see more of him.