Manchester is RED
Like Will Ferrell at a frat party, Michael Carrick’s Manchester United are going streaking.
The old school (sorry!) references don’t stop there with the club scoring recent game winners near the end of 90 minutes and in Fergie Time.
Since the last vibes-o-meter reading, Manchester United beat Arsenal at the Emirates, 3-2, with an 87th-minute winner delivered by Matheus Cunha from well outside of the penalty area. A week later, Benjamin Sesko’s 94th minute strike in front of the Stretford End ripped the hearts out of Fulham after they believed they had stolen a draw at Old Trafford in the 91st minute.
Carrick’s cumulative interim head coaching record at United extends to six unbeaten with five wins. And each result is impressive with the context that Carrick has achieved it against top managers in the league (Pep Guardiola (2-0), Unai Emery (2-0), and twice against Mikel Arteta (3-2, both times)) and his potential rivals for the full time appointment (Thomas Tuchel (1-1) and Marco Silva (3-2)).
I am still not focused on whether or not Carrick should receive the full-time appointment. I’m simply focused on the fact that this team is winning and they’re doing it against good teams in exciting ways.
The vibes are still absolutely immaculate.
In the last vibes-o-meter reading, I was still levitating from the Manchester Derby, and I declared that I was not concerned about the future. It’s amazing how two more wins can absolutely alter your brain chemistry.
Manchester United are now in fourth place in the Premier League, having scored the third most goals in the league, despite not having a single player hit double figures yet.
This team is very much in the driver’s seat to earn a place in the Champions League next season — a far cry from summer predictions when I anticipated nothing more ambitious than UEFA Conference League berth. Despite exiting both cups in the first available round, United now have something meaningful to play for again and expectations are rising.
United will play four matches between now and March 1, which include hosting 14th-place Tottenham, at 18th-place West Ham United, at 10th-place Everton, and hosting 15th-place Crystal Palace. The runway is there to pull away from the clogged up middle of the table and get a certain someone a haircut.
If United are to make their run, it will be no surprise that the engine room’s core will have a massive influence. Bruno Fernandes has 12 assists, leading the league by a considerable margin as predicted by this pundit, with an opportunity to break the current league record. Couple that with Casemiro who is officially playing his final matches in Red. Between his knack for scoring goals on set pieces and the team’s knack for conceding goals once he’s been subbed off, his farewell tour will be truly impactful. Finally, Kobbie Mainoo is just so back, man. Let us hope his trajectory continues and his status at United then never changes.
Even if there is some trepidation around getting your hopes up about Champions League football, this is still a good thing. We have a reason to be excited for each weekend again, and we can feel pretty confident that we’ll be entertained in the process. I’ll continue to stress protecting your heart, considering this team loves to dash our hopes after a sunny patch, but I’ll also stress taking the time to really revel in these individual moments. If the team keeps delivering, then we have plenty of time to think about the future in the summer.
Post-MD22 Vibes Reading
Now, the Manchester United 2025-26 Vibes-O-Meter is a very specific device developed with the most advanced science available to us: our gut.
The Vibes-O-Meter uses a scale of 1-10 based on the contemporary highs and lows of the Post-Fergie era. A one being like the feelings after listening to multiple recent managers cling to losses against Arsenal as moral victories and a 10 being like the feelings while watching Jesse Lingard milly rock at the Emirates.
9/10
Positive Influences
- Six more points in the bag!
- The summer signings are scoring!
- Premier League Assists King Bruno!
- Mainoo and Uncle Case!
Negative Influences
- Are we setting ourselves up for a letdown as it relates to the Champions League if this team has a stumble in the spring?
- I’m going to miss Uncle Case.
Previous Vibes-O-Meter reading: 9/10 (MD22)
Category: General Sports
