Did You Notice: Michael Carrick’s half-time tweaks made Manchester United worse

Generally speaking, red cards are a club analyst’s worst nightmare. As soon as the referee pulls one out of his pocket, all of the previous lines of enquiry go out the window, leaving behind a different tactical matchup from what had been anticipated when it was 11 vs 11. It’s easy to generalise. From the moment Phil Foden was sent off and Manchester United began playing with a man advantage against Manchester City this weekend, the narrative shifted to their difficulty breaking down ‘low blocks’. Even Enzo Maresca went there. “The game with 10 players became more difficult for us,”…