Manchester United stick with Michael Carrick ahead of Chelsea matchup as dressing-room discord fuels crisis

An eight-game winless skid and public pushback from leaders like Bruno Fernandes have left Old Trafford fractured ahead of a critical clash with Chelsea To the surprise of many, Michael Carrick will continue to be in the dugout for Manchester United as they face Chelsea on Saturday. During their eight-game winless run in all competitions, United have allowed 15 goals while scoring six, and off the pitch, everything is unraveling, with players and fans alike questioning the direction of the club. United have been in this position before, and it has usually led to a change of manager and a rebuild of the club from the ground up. But what's different is that during this rut, players are publicly speaking out.

While things will sometimes leak via undisclosed sources, players saying the quiet part out loud about what's going on with the club is not a good look. Defender Lisandro Martinez spoke about the need for the club to have higher standards and claimed that it's lacking ambition after a poor loss to Atletico Madrid in Champions League play, but it went from bad to worse as captain Bruno Fernandes spoke out after a humbling loss to Como, questioning the team's tactics. Date: Saturday, Oct. 31 | Time: 8:30 a.m. ETLocation: Stamford Bridge — LondonTV: USA NetworkOdds: Chelsea -105; Draw