Manchester United sun sha ɗaya daga cikin mafi munin hasara a tarihin kwanan nan a ranar Laraba, bayan sun jefar da fa'idar kwallayen 2-0 don fita daga Carabao Cup a zagaye na uku — an doke su a Old Trafford a hannun Brighton. Don nemo karo na karshe da United suka yi rashin nasara a gida daga wannan matsayi, dole ne ka koma baya zuwa 4 Satumba 1976, lokacin da John Pratt na Tottenham ya rufe nasara a Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson har yanzu bai zama manajan United ba a lokacin — yana kula da St Mirren.

Sakamakon bai daɗe ba kuma ya bayyana sosai. Yayin da 'yan wasan suka yi ƙoƙarin zagayawa filin wasa bayan wasan, mafi yawan magoya baya sun nufi ƙofofi. Waɗanda suka rage sun bayyana fushinsu ta hanyar yin bushi, kuma yayin da 'yan wasan suka kusanci ramin filin wasa — kusa da sashin rera waƙa na kulob — masu sha'awar suka daidaita kalmomin tsokana ga manaja Michael Carrick da 'yan wasansu.

Matsayin Carrick na rashin jin tsoron matsin lamba

Duk da nauyin sakamako, Carrick ya ki yarda da wani matsin lamba na sirri. "Ban ji matsin lamba ba," in ji shi. "Ko ta yaya, wannan bai damu ni ɗan duniya ba. Abin da ke damuna shi ne cin nasara a wasanni, samun yanayi mai kyau a kusa da mu da kuma a cikin ƙungiyar domin sanin cewa muna tafiya a hanya mai kyau."

Matsalar ita ce, kaɗan ne ake iya ganin wannan hanya a yanzu. United sun ci nasara sau biyu kawai a wannan kakar — a kan Ipswich da aka haɓaka, da kuma gwarzon Azerbaijan Sabah FK a UEFA Champions League — kuma yanzu sun tara hasara mafi yawa a cikin makonni kaɗan fiye da yadda Carrick ya samu a wasanni 17 na farko bayan ya maye gurbin Ruben Amorim a watan Janairu.

Haske ɗaya da duhu ya lullube shi

Abin farin ciki na gaske daya tilo a daren nan shi ne Shea Lacey, wanda ya bude ci da yafe mai nutsuwa a minti na 8 a farkon farkawarsa a babban ƙungiyar — ya zama matashi na farko da ya ci a farkon wasan farko da United tun lokacin Marcus Rashford a Fabrairu 2016. Carrick ya yaba da wannan nasara da baƙin ciki cewa ta nutsewa cikin tashin hankali da ke kewaye.

"Abin takaici ne cewa lokacin Shea ya ɓace kaɗan, ba sa'a," in ji shi. "Ba za ya faru masa ba lokacin da al'amura suka kwantar da hankali, amma yadda muke zaune a nan yanzu, yana da muke kamar lokaci ne da ya wuce sosai."

Carrick ya yi canje-canje takwas a cikin layin farko, kuma sake tsarawa na tsaron ya bayyana rauni na ƙungiyar. Leny Yoro da Ayden Heaven sun yi wahala tare da wannan halin, yanayin Diogo Dalot ya ci gaba da kasawa, kuma rashin ɗan wasan gefe na hagu na ƙwararru — wata giɓi da ba a cike ta kafin rufewa na taga canja wuri — ya ci gaba da cutar da ƙungiyar. A tsakiyar filin wasa, an mamaye United gaba ɗaya. An sanya Bruno Fernandes a ƙarshe a cikin mintoci na ƙarshe masu taharba, alama ta yadda halin ya zama muni.

Marcus Rashford kuma ya ci gaba da barazana ba tare da ba da gudunmawa mai ƙarfi ba. Mafi kyawun lokacin nasa ya zo lokacin da ya huda tsaron Brighton, kafin mai tsaron gidan Jason Steele ya hana shi.

Manajan Brighton Fabian Hurzeler ya taƙaita kimantawarsa. "Yawan lokacin da wasan yake tafiya, haka muke da ikon sarrafawa," in ji shi. "Na yi tunanin mun cancanci cin nasara." Carrick bai ƙi wannan kimantawa ba.

Gwajin ƙarshe a Fulham

United za su yi tafiya zuwa Fulham ranar Lahadi a wasansu na ƙarshe kafin hutu na kasa da kasa — wasan da yake da nauyi sosai a halin yanzu na kulob. Tsohon ɗan wasan tsakiyar filin Ingila Jamie Redknapp, yana magana a Sky Sports, ya yi fili game da abin da yake gani. "A halin yanzu, suna da nisa sosai," in ji shi. "Ba kome yadda manajan yake da kyau, idan ba ka da 'yan wasa masu dacewa yana da wahala sosai. Wannan karshen mako zai zama babban wasan — bai buƙaci wani sakamakon mara kyau, in ba haka ba kowa zai zama yana magana kai a lokacin hutu na kasa da kasa."

Carrick da kansa ya amince da nauyin wannan lokaci, ko da yake bai kai matakin firgita ba. "Mun fita daga gasar kofuna dare na yau, kuma yanayi a kusa da kulob yana da nauyi fiye da hakan," ya yarda. "Amma bai dace ya kasance haka ba. Idan muka sake cin nasara a wasanni, zai iya tafiya a wata hanya daban."