Manchester United lost 2-0 against Atletico Madrid thanks to goals from Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman to make it five games without a win for Michael Carrick's side. 

The Red Devils had the worst start possible after conceding inside the first minute after Alex Baena slipped in Barrios and his shot was squeezed through under Ayden Heaven. 

United managed to create three big chances before the end of the first half, with two falling to Bryan Mbeumo, but both were wasted. 

In the 74th minute, Leny Yoro was deemed by the referee to have brought down the last man, Jonathan David, and received a red card. Minutes later, Lookman made it 2-0 to secure the three points for Atletico.

This seems to be an ever present of almost every game so far this season, but it seems to be getting worse every game. While there is the caveat of players out of position, like Bruno Fernandes on the right and Ayden Heaven at left back, there were serious issues that were exposed yet again.

The 4-2-4/4-4-2 press that Manchester United operate with creates so many holes not only in the midfield but in the wide areas when the full-backs have to fill in the areas the wide players leave when they push on. 

The other major issue is that it appears to be so dysfunctional. Watching Atletico, you see a side that presses as a unit and closes all the gaps to force United into a mistake. However, United often have only one player who leads it, with other players slowly coming in to back them up. There is never any cohesion as a unit.  With this specific system, Fernandes on the right kept going inside to press, which left Dalot on his own time and time again.

In the second half, there was a slight improvement with players working together as duos to win the ball back, but there is still a long way to go. 

Given that the first thing we learnt was the pressing, and the next is the lack of movement, it is safe to say the off-the-ball work is a huge detriment to Manchester United. 

When Atletico had the ball, there was consistent movement from their players. Pass-and-go. That was what they were constantly doing, which made it look like they had so many more players than United. 

However, when the Red Devils had the ball, more often than not, when someone received the ball, the rest of the side was stagnant. The only options would be to pass it to the side or pass it back, and then when Atletico pressed and closed the passing lines, United would be forced to play it long and lose the ball. 

In isolation, being outplayed on the ball by a Spanish side is to be expected. Yet this has been more noticeable in United's last five games across all competitions, and it is no surprise the club has struggled to be convincing in each one. 

Ultimately, given the chances that were created for both sides, 2-0 flatters Atletico Madrid far more. 

In the first half, United had created three big chances while Atletico created zero, and yet the club saw themselves one down after 53 seconds. Mbeumo had two big chances himself that, on another day, he would slot away with ease. But such is the form of United this season. It just so happened that neither went in. 

Even in the second half, the club was better, but it was the same issue of being unable to take on the big chances when they came. While the game was done by then, in the 92nd minute Joshua Zirkzee was in space to take a first-time shot but laid it off to Matheus Cunha, who hit his shot straight at the keeper when there was acres of space in the box.

Had one or two of the chances gone in then this a very different game for United.

One of the major reasons for Manchester United's success last season was how narrow the team was. When combining to play out of the back, or striking teams on the counter, it was far easier to play through teams while staying secure at the back. Almost similar to the way United played in the 22/23 season under Erik Ten Hag. 

Similar to Ten Hag's last two seasons, Michael Carrick opted to tactically evolve the team, which seemed to reap many rewards at the beginning of pre-season. The team looked fluid on the ball and was able to dictate the tempo of games. 

Despite all this, this season it has all come crumbling apart, and one glaring issue is the massive distances between players. Not only does this create gaps, as covered in the poor press that United operate with, but it also makes it way harder for players to combine. 

The opposition players are always ready to strike and win the ball back, or at least force the United players into a mistake with an intense press. With the players so far apart, it makes the lack of movement even more of a glaring issue, as it always looks like, with the lack of opposition, the team is playing with fewer men. 

Rightly or wrongly, the pressure is going to be ramped up on Carrick. The stat of two wins in all competitions so far is already damning, but the actual performances themselves have been disappointing, to say the least.

The individual performances and mistakes, as well as decisions from officials, have not helped, as well as not back with the right squad he needed. 

However, given that four of the previous things mentioned for things we learnt in this game, as well as across the season, have been tactical issues, it's clear that the credit in the bank he had from last season is beginning to be worn out.