Exclusive interview with Louis Saha: “It’s obvious Manchester United has not improved.”

Speaking exclusively with FootballPredictions.com, former France and Manchester United striker Louis Saha has discussed Manchester United’s latest comebacks, it’s poor form and Carrick’s overall performance.

Louis Saha has given his thoughts on Manchester United’s chances in the Champions League after returning in the European’s biggest football league after their last campaign in 2023/2024 where the Mancunians got knocked out early in the tournament.

Other topics include the situation around Tottenham Hotspur and their chances to finish top 6 in the Premier League in the 2026/2027 season. Saha also expresses himself on the mentality of the Tottenham Hotspur players.

Louis Saha on Manchester United

Bojan Jovanovic: Manchester United have achieved two comebacks in one week, one against Roma and then Villa to come back for the draw, but they have been conceding early goals. Why can’t they bring the intensity they have at the end of games into the early part of matches?

“I’m not sure, but there is definitely something about the approach. The kind of urgency comes with the obligation to react, and this is where they’re good. It’s like they have that in them, but they need to have their backs against the wall to actually react, when they have nothing to lose. They should be doing that from the first second.

“I think there is a naivety, and at some moments you realise that they accept that they’re not going to actually force their way or ask the difficult questions of themselves or of the opposition. They are very passive, and then when it comes to an obligation, they do react, and they have the talent to do it. They may not have all the talent and the links between the lines, from the goalkeeper to the striker. It’s inconsistent, I would think, and that’s what doesn’t help their approach.

“When you start a game and you know that behind you and in front of you, you have everything you need to answer, whether it’s you or somebody else, you feel it, and they don’t have that confidence.

“I think they may rely too much on [Bruno], but at the moment he’s not in super form, and you tend to think that you need to have the best link, otherwise it’s not going to work out. And I don’t know, I think there is sometimes – I’m not saying a lack of courage, but a lack of belief that they can take the game away.

“From the outside, it’s super easy to give your opinions and all that, but from the inside, I’m not sure they have the answer, because it can’t happen at this level, especially in the Champions League. I do think that they got out of those situations not by luck, but close to that.”

Bojan Jovanovic: It’s now no win for Manchester United in the Premier League since their 5-2 home win against Ipswich, all the way back at the end of August. Now with a draw against Villa is that enough to keep Carrick in his role as head coach?

“It’s a hard question, because you can say from the start that he has been let down in the transfer market. There is definitely a big, big question mark in midfield, and I don’t think that has been answered. A question mark in defence – I don’t think it’s been answered. A question mark in attack – I don’t think it’s been answered. Maybe the goalkeeper – even with the two mistakes, or a few mistakes, that he has made, he’s still a valuable goalkeeper. I do think he needs to improve, as everyone knows, but I think he’s okay in his position.

“The defence is changing every week. The midfield is missing the kind of power or dominance that you need, physically first and tactically. So regardless of who can attack and join the attack going forward, it’s inconsistent. You have a bit of a threat, but you don’t have the player that every defence is scared of.

“They are good players, definitely good players that you have to manage, like [any player at the] standard of the Premier League, but you don’t have Harry Kane or Haaland, those types of players where you know you’re going to struggle to keep them out of any game – you know they will get opportunities. That’s not the case at the moment. They sometimes do a bit of magic, but that’s not enough to win games.”

Bojan Jovanovic: Has the structure, with Jason Wilcox and the INEOS recruitment model, given Carrick enough to succeed?

“No, definitely not. It’s very clear, and you don’t need to know much about football. Even my partner can say that, and she doesn’t watch much football, but every time she hears me, she can look at the games and have a very simple take on it. It’s obvious the team has not improved, if it hasn’t got worse, because, I’m saying, Casemiro was a guarantee. He was someone who had this experience, that aggressiveness at the right moment. I think we do lack physical power.

“With no disrespect to other teams, it’s a special club, with the Champions League. I don’t think a striker should be young at the top of this team. For me, it doesn’t make sense. It’s a lot of pressure, especially when you come from another country. You have too many of those who don’t have the experience to be the solution, and I think that’s a big mistake. It’s just a big mistake. I don’t like to refer to the past again, but before, it was maybe four or five strikers who used to score 20 goals a season, and now you have only one or two. I don’t understand.”

Bojan Jovanovic: United finished third last year and returned to the Champions League, and under Carrick there was a real sort of high, positive energy coming from the club. So why has this season unravelled so quickly? Did the success Carrick brought to the club at the end of last season sort of cover over a few of the cracks we’re now seeing?

“Yeah, it’s a bit of both. I think you definitely had cracks last year, even with the results. Some games were – I’m not going to say scrappy, but it was like, okay, they played okay. They were very professional. It happens to the best teams, so we could be happy with this. But when we say, okay, we have the Champions League – we used to play only one game a week – all this has to be managed differently, and I think they made a big mistake.

“That’s why I’m saying the transfer market was not done correctly. The effort of Michael, in some ways, in some games, [was] to put the players in front of their responsibility, in terms of their approach to the games and their dedication. He had this very simple way to manage last year, and it was working, but you know how humans work. We get comfortable, and that’s what happened. Maybe he anticipated that, but he didn’t feel that it was going to be as hard.

“I would love to see him a bit outside of his comfort zone. If I touch on the manager, I don’t know exactly where things could go better tactically, because I think he set up his team correctly. I do see improvement, and I see a problem with maybe some attitude and approach, and that’s what the fans in general see. That’s why they don’t really attack Michael as much as [you might expect]. They see that his set-up is correct, but the players at his disposal are not [good enough] to actually solve all the cracks that we have. I think the board has some work to do in December and January – they probably have to do it now – but I do think that, yes, the overall performance of the club in general since INEOS [arrived] has been poor.”

Bojan Jovanovic: One of the key players Carrick and United have relied on for so long is Bruno Fernandes. What was your take on his outburst after the Como game? Is that something you’d expect from a Manchester United captain?

“Yeah, it’s sad because, again, it’s a very difficult situation for the players, for the manager, for the fans, for everybody.

“Frustration is expressed differently. Some will say, ‘Oh yes, I would have dealt with that internally.’ It’s super easy, because you’re very calm. It’s not you who’s being attacked. So it’s super simple to say, ‘Oh, I would have done this, I would have done that,’ like you’re writing a book. All those people talking – it’s super easy. No, as a human being, you react and sometimes you make mistakes.

“Gary Neville has made mistakes – maybe fewer – maybe Roy Keane has made mistakes, I’ve made mistakes. That’s part of this, you know what I’m saying. I’m not here to put more weight on Bruno Fernandes. I’m a fan. I want him to be better and I want him to be supported, because that’s what he needs. Yes, of course, I could put more pressure on him. He’s used to it. I wouldn’t be the only one, but I don’t think that’s helping. So I’m saying, yes, he has to take his responsibility. He may have spoken wrongly and all that, but we’re here to go forward, and I think that’s what Michael is focused on. He tried to go forward. He made his point, he put him on the bench, he said to him, ‘You were wrong.’ Move on. That’s it.

“I’m not going to say we’re living in a perfect world, sitting in a chair and judging, like it’s super easy. All those guys – that’s their job, they’re going to talk, they’re going to say, ‘I would have done this, I would have done that.’ Yes, like they would never make mistakes. It’s super simple, but that’s not the reality. You have to go forward. Yes, for sure, he has to be supported with maybe two other players of at least a similar calibre around him. This is not about Bruno. He can say whatever he wants. Maybe someone would have come to him and said, ‘Shut up,’ or whatever. But at the moment, Bruno is Bruno, and that’s difficult. He’s taking all the blame, and at some point he wants to express it and say, ‘I’m fed up of always being blamed for everything.’ And he expressed it wrong. That’s it.

“I’m sure that Martínez is trying to do the same, maybe without the same credibility as Bruno, I would think, because he has been injured and he has not been playing super well. You expect some senior players to behave with that clarity. It’s not easy to be clear and spot on every time. You make mistakes, you see things from deep, the details, so you don’t see the overview. And it’s extremely hard for them to have the right analysis. Some people around them may say something wrong, and they just buy it, and that’s the difficult situation they are in. They have to listen to everybody, and sometimes they should not listen to everybody. It’s really hard.”

Bojan Jovanovic: It’s been interesting from an outside perspective, watching after games as Carrick is clapped off the pitch and the players are booed. And then you hear reports that the hierarchy are potentially looking to speak to people like Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martínez about Carrick. Do you think it’s right for the hierarchy of the club to be discussing the manager’s future with its own players?

“It happens. You could be part of some kind of conversation about what you think. Sometimes this is where you have some roles. I remember Patrick Vieira, for example, was super respected and was a kind of in-between for the manager, the chairman and the players, and that position is where it’s comfortable.

“Everybody has an opinion on things, and it’s very useful to hear everyone, and I think it makes sense. But when things are not working, everybody is going to look at details like this and say, ‘Oh, we would have done it differently.’ The good intention was behind it, but the result is not working.

“I look at things in a practical way. I like things that make sense, that are simple and all that, but sometimes it’s very difficult. And I do think that, at the end of it, the senior players are experienced, but they’re going to make mistakes. They’re going to think in a certain way, but the reality is football is super simple. You have to run more, you have to be aggressive, you have to approach it with that confidence. If you are playing half and half, you get punished. That’s it. And you have to play to your qualities, not your weaknesses, rather than trying to play a defensive mode that doesn’t fit your players or, in some way, your club’s philosophy. Until you find that alignment, you’re going to talk about the board, you’re going to talk about the referee, you’re going to talk about whatever, and it just doesn’t work. So you need a stable team that fits Manchester United’s objectives and targets, and until that’s aligned, you’re going to have problems.”

Bojan Jovanovic: As a manager Carrick had a very respectable record at Middlesbrough but failed to get them promoted to the Premier League. Do you think he was the right choice to take over Manchester United on a full-time basis?

“As an interim, he was a great choice. It proved to be right. It could be a great solution if he had been given the right opportunity, for a team that is competing not only in the Premier League, for a foundation – a stable foundation – but also in the Champions League.

“When you see now that, I think, Sunderland are struggling because they’ve just played in Europe, you understand [the need for] the capacity of a big squad with quality players who are able to maintain the quality and the pressure. I think this is extremely hard. Yes, you could have more experience, but you’re still going to make choices with your ego or your own experiences. You make mistakes. That’s part of the game. If you’ve played and you’ve been a manager, you’re going to make mistakes, but you have to be supported to make fewer mistakes, and [there’s been] nothing there.

“At this moment in time, no one knows if he was the wrong choice, because he hasn’t been given the right tools to operate in this situation. It’s a very specific one. It’s not a normal club. When you have one or two great players, they’ve always been the focus. I mean that the pressure is going to be on, because the press is going to target their names, because they print more stuff about them. Whether they play well or play badly, it’s going to be their names. So that can be really difficult for them to be stable, and that’s why you need three, four or five to be able to maintain that balance, because to rely on one or two is not sustainable. It’s as simple as that.

“At this level, at such a big club, that’s not normal. And I’m saying [that] about the defence. They could be good players, as I said – they talk a lot and all those things – but the defence hasn’t proved it is stable. Until they do it on the field, they can claim everything they want; it’s not good enough. And I’m saying [the same] for the midfield and the striker position: it’s not good enough. I’m saying that because it’s the role of the board to understand that they have put too much pressure on one or two players, and those players just can’t make it. It’s just not magic. It’s not going to work.

“That’s my take on it. Maybe I’m wrong, but with experience, you’ve seen that the teams that have, I would say, five top players can be stable, because one week it’s going to be those guys, and another week it’s going to be those three, and so on. If it’s one or two, I’m telling you, it’s not going to work. You’re going to get draws and defeats, and maybe sometimes you’re going to be lucky, win games and feel like you have sorted everything. That’s not the truth.”

Bojan Jovanovic: There’s been constant talk of replacements for Carrick. Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann, Unai Emery and Antonio Conte have all already been linked to the United job, despite the fact Carrick’s still there. Does hearing all of this noise sometimes undermine Carrick’s authority, when he might hear the club are potentially looking elsewhere to replace him?

“That’s part of the job. I think he knows. He’s been in the industry, he’s not going to be surprised by that. It’s based on the results. If he does win, the talk is maybe still going to be there. It’s part of it.

“You are the manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world. It’s been, I think, almost 10 years now that the club has been struggling, so you will find moments where everything is fine, and still he didn’t know [his future] when the results were great. He had to [wait until] the last moment to renew, so I do think that it’s part of the job. What I know is that those manager talks are definitely necessary in some way or another. It could be more discreet, it doesn’t matter. Just because I think it’s a critical position for such a club, and you have to look at all the options possible, with all the respect that you have for the manager. That’s part of the industry.

“What I think is that they have to look at themselves as well, because when you look at just changing managers, you [also] need to change the structure. I don’t know who can help, who can challenge the transfers or the stability of this club, but it’s not just about the manager himself doing great stuff on the field. He has to be helped. I think he hasn’t been helped. So they have to look at themselves before just looking for a solution in a manager with [new] instructions again. That’s not enough. So I think there is an element of hope.

“I’ve seen that last year was better, and maybe better than [under] the previous manager, in a very simple way. So who knows, maybe one or two players would have made the massive difference. They would maybe have had to break the bank, but I think it would have been worth it.”

Bojan Jovanovic: Following the international break, it’s then bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League. Do you expect Carrick to still be in charge of that fixture in particular?

“Yeah, I think so. I do think he’s trying to carry himself in the best way possible with what he has at his disposal. Every manager will claim that they can do better. I think they know it’s going to be a really tough one. Until you have an opportunity to hit the transfer market, I think it’s a gamble. Yes, United need to win games very quickly.

“Liverpool is going to be a tough one, but as we know, again, when they are backed into a corner or facing a big challenge, they tend to respond. I don’t know why. It’s happened before in some great games – even when we lost against Man City, I think we played okay. So there is an element of hope, but they need to convert very quickly and, in some way, build again the foundation that we saw last year.

“I know the last 15 games were terrific in terms of professionalism, confidence and simplicity. It’s a silly way to do it, but when I compare it with Como and the way they play, I think it’s simple passing, and those guys have energy. The team seems to know where they’re going, and I think that’s what [Carrick] has to tend to. I do think he’s capable of doing it.”

Bojan Jovanovic: Were Carrick to leave Manchester United before that Liverpool game after the international break, how will people remember his time at United? Would it be deemed successful or not?

“I would almost think that they will say he has done his best. Michael Carrick is not Mourinho, who has I don’t know how many Champions Leagues and how many credentials as a manager. Okay. But for what he has given, and what he has, I think, re-established a little bit, I think it’s already a success for me. I respect what he did last year. It was not easy. It was almost not expected. And then he hasn’t been given the tools. So I’m not going to blame him.

“He’s part of the problem at the moment, but it’s not his fault alone. So I would say it’s still positive, because he hasn’t been given the tools. That’s not an excuse, because he’s a big lad and he’s going to take shots. No problem. He may look like the cool guy, or the very classy guy and all that, but he knows exactly what he wants. He knows exactly what he doesn’t like. He maybe doesn’t say it in a very expressive way, or to everyone’s liking, but he won’t take the blame for everything either. He was a great player because he has a great balance between ego and humility, and I’m sure people remember that, and that’s why he hasn’t been booed as much as you may think. It’s because you have respect for what he’s trying to do.”

Bojan Jovanovic: What core or key positions do you think Manchester United need to upgrade in January?

“For me, the most important is creation – the creation, the stability of how you create. We have three or four midfielders who are very similar in pace. They are good footballers. Tielemans is a good footballer. Baleba is a good footballer. Mainoo is a good footballer. Mason Mount is a good footballer. But they have one pace, or two max, and we need someone of the calibre of, I don’t know, Declan Rice or Steven Gerrard – someone who is physically unplayable and technically the same.

“We need that kind of player to maintain that pressure, because then we recover the ball higher, and I think the strikers that we have could do the job. I think this is the most important position. Yes, the defence needs to be more stable, but we have players who will maybe at some point get that experience. Yoro and Heaven can improve – we don’t have bad players at the back. It’s just these linking players in midfield – it’s not good enough.”

Louis Saha on Tottenham Hotspur

Bojan Jovanovic: Tottenham haven’t won a Premier League game in 39 attempts after conceding first. So why do they look so unable to respond? Is it down to the manager’s tactics? Is it the players’ mentality? Is it a mixture of both?

“Yeah, it’s a mixture of both. I think there is an expectation, not only from the fans, but [because of] the kind of stature this club has. Always a lot of potential, a lot of top players, and they play attractive football most of the time, but they lack something. Sometimes it’s about the aggressiveness, about the scrappy [moments] that they need at some point. All that won’t be answered [easily], because I think De Zerbi is working every day, every minute to find that. I’m sure that he came in with that same problem. People told him about it. He hasn’t found a way. So I do think it’s a difficult question to answer, but they definitely have the players, they have the facilities, they have the support of great fans. So I do think it’s just a matter of confidence.

“At some point – remember maybe Spain or France, when they hadn’t won any competition internationally and they needed one – I think there are those moments where a season needs to be consistent, where they need to show that they are able to switch, like maybe Arsenal did last year, with a kind of scrappy game that’s not super beautiful to watch. Some days, they were praising the defence more than the attack – not like Arsenal at all.

“So maybe there is a change that Tottenham need to make. Some of it is within the game, and sometimes it’s within the mentality.”

Bojan Jovanovic: Do you still consider them to be part of the Premier League top six? They’ve had a few disappointing seasons, but they did have that victory in the Europa League amongst these poor Premier League seasons. So do you still see them as one of the top sides?

“Yes, it is a top side, because they have enormous capacity in terms of the transfer market. They’ve made some great transfers. They have built a big squad, where they’d been blamed for many years for not doing that. So I think they’ve done it, and they have a big stadium. They have reached a few finals, whether the Champions League or cups, and I think they have a great game, so at some moments they are a brilliant side to watch. So I do think that it’s sad, and I felt it when I played at that club. They want it so badly – maybe that’s the problem, that they’re chasing it so much. So I don’t think they need to worry about their status.

“They would have been really damaged if they were in the Championship this year. That’s not the case, and I think they have to rebuild. Sometimes it takes more than a year to do that. So hopefully this transition will do them good, and next year things are going to be more stable and better. As I said, pretty much all the teams are looking for the perfect link from defence to attack, and at some moments in the game you have to find that even more. If you lose that at certain moments, when the opposition is trying to build on what you have given them, they tend to collapse, and this is the problem.

“They need to have a stronger chain that’s stable for 96, 98 minutes and doesn’t break, not thinking about something else at some point. I don’t know. That is the way forward.”

About Louis Saha

Louis Saha is a former French footballer who played for clubs including Fulham, Manchester United, Everton, and the French national team during his active career (from 1997 to 2013) where he won a silver medal with during the World Cup in 2006.

Throughout his career, Saha played over 400 official matches scoring over 150 goals and winning titles such as the Premier League (2006–07, 2007–08) and the UEFA Champions League (2007–08) alongside big names such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Louis Saha, also known as ‘King Louis’ by the Fulham fans, played as a striker and was known for his speed, athletic ability, and powerful finishing.

Today, Louis Saha works as a football analyst and media expert.