Formerly Chief Football Writer at the Press Association, Paul is now a reporter for The Times, covering Manchester City and Manchester United.
First up Paul, it's been a long international break - any idea what shape the United squad will be in come Saturday?
Paul: “It depends how you look at it, really. On a negative note, you would point out that Benjamin Sesko didn't go away with Slovenia because of a shin injury that troubled him towards the end of last season - that seems to have flared up. Amad Diallo has been out for a while, we've not seen him since the start of the season because of an ankle injury, and Bruno Fernandes had some fitness troubles away with Portugal. We won't know whether any of those will be fit until Michael Carrick speaks on Friday afternoon at his press conference. On the other side of the coin, there is Carlos Baleba, who's been back in training at Carrington during the international break. He might be fit to make his debut against Spurs - he was on the bench against Fulham. Matthijs de Ligt has also been training, which is great news for United because they've missed him. He's been out for the last 11 months with a back injury."
Spurs fans will remember fondly Michael Carrick's time as a player here in the mid-2000s - what's the verdict so far on his time in charge at Old Trafford?
Paul: “I think, overall, the verdict on Carrick has been very positive amongst the fans and amongst the media as well. I think we've given a fair summary of his time so far. Certainly, towards the end of last season, United were a wreck when he took over and he turned them into a well-oiled winning machine. He's found things a little bit harder this season because they're playing twice a week and, in my opinion, they’re very short at left-back and I think they're missing a striker as well. Yes, but I think the support for Michael is very strong at the club and among the fan base. He's such a well-respected player, such a fantastic technical footballer, as you know, as Spurs fans will know, he's a true professional, a real calm head. The way that he brought things around last season, steadied the ship, got United winning again and played some really nice, attacking football gave him a lot of credit in the bank. It's been a difficult start to this season, but I don't think anyone's really panicking, although they need to kick on in the next few weeks."
How does Carrick normally set up his team?
Paul: “He plays a 4-2-3-1 system. You'll have Bruno as number 10, and he’ll push up alongside Sesko or whoever's playing as the number nine when United are out of possession, so it goes to 4-4-2. His standard attacking full-backs, Shaw looked really good when he played with Marcus Rashford against Everton, but he's just not been able to get fit. They really need him back in the team. The thing that United have struggled with is trying to dominate games. They're really good on the counter-attack. They can be quite ruthless and very easy on the eye when they're on the counter-attack in transition, but when they've got the ball and teams are playing a low defensive block, they really struggle to unpick them sometimes. That's something that Michael and his team have got to overcome. They've got some talented players there. The first 11 is very good, particularly on the attack.”
Who should Spurs fans keep an eye on? Who's in form?
Paul: “It has been a difficult start of the season, but Kobbie Mainoo has probably been the best player for United, which is saying something really given the troubles he had last season. At the start of the season, he didn't get a sniff under Ruben Amorim. Then Michael brings him back into the team, makes him the main guy - that was one of the reasons why United got back in the Champions League last season. One of the plus points from Carrick's management so far is that he's been able to get the best out of Mainoo. When he's full of confidence, he's a really fantastic player to watch when he's carrying the ball forward. He can bring the ball forward at pace. He's got a lot of skills as well. He's probably the in-form player. Marcus Rashford has not got the numbers that he would like to have got so far, but he's looked very quick, very direct and very good off the ball as well. He's working a lot harder. That's another plus point for United. I'd say that Mainoo is probably the most in-form United player at the moment. It's easy to forget Bruno Fernandes because he's such a class act, such a brilliant footballer. To be honest, he's the guy who makes everything tick for United, but we've come to expect that level from him. Mainoo is probably the one who has stood out a little bit more than the rest.”
Generally, what have you made of United's form so far this season?
Paul: "I must admit, I thought they'd kick on this season and really start pushing for the top two, three positions again, but as I mentioned earlier, it's been a difficult start for United. They've not had a full performance over 90 minutes, except for the Champions League game against Sabah. They've been really disappointing when they've gone ahead. They should have beaten Everton after going ahead twice, but ended up drawing 2-2. That wasn't a great result. At Fulham, they were quite lucky to draw (1-1) there. The defeat at home to Brighton (2-30) in the Carabao Cup up was pretty embarrassing (United were 2-0 up). They look good going forward, but defensively, they are very vulnerable. It doesn't really take much for them to start doubting themselves, which is not a good sign if you want to build a team that wants to win something.”
Finally, what’s the key to it all on Saturday?
Paul: “Again, it goes back to what I was saying earlier about how United struggle against teams that play in a low block. If Spurs come out and play at United and have a go at them, then United can be really devastating on the counter-attack. Roberto De Zerbi has got to give a lot of thought about how he lines up against United and what type of game he expects them to play. Equally, if United have got a lot of the ball, they've looked a bit non-plussed as to how to pick defensive teams apart. That's been their Achilles heel so far. I feel the problem that United have had is that in terms of their mentality, it seems it doesn't really take much for them to lose their confidence at the moment. It's strange because it's a team full of really good, talented players, particularly in attack, but it doesn't really seem to take much to shake their confidence. If Spurs get an early goal, then I can see them winning, even though I suppose Spurs haven't had a great start to the season themselves. I think it will be quite a high-scoring game. It's two teams that have not reached their potential so far this season and will be looking to show everyone that they're a lot better than their league position suggests at the moment.”
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