Sunday's defeats have put two Premier League managers on the brink. Michael Carrick's Manchester United were thrashed 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford, while Crystal Palace lost 2.0 to Newcastle, and both clubs are now weighing whether to dismiss managers appointed only last summer.
According to Mirror reporting, Carrick may not even be the first managerial casualty of the season. Crystal Palace are drawing up a shortlist of replacements for Pierre Sage, the Frenchman hired from Lens to succeed Oliver Glasner. Sean Dyche, Thomas Frank, Vitor Pereira and Robbie Keane are all said to be of interest, with chairman Steve Parish the man who must decide.
A start at Old Trafford not seen since 1986
United have taken seven points from eight league games and sit 16th, their worst start since the 1986/87 season. Carrick has won just two of 12 matches in all competitions. Sunday's humiliation by Bournemouth followed a 4-1 defeat by Como in midweek, and United chiefs Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada watched from the stands as the home crowd turned.
Jamie Carragher, working as a pundit, claimed that Carrick wanted to be put out of his misery. Express.co.uk reports that United have already shortlisted Fabian Hurzeler, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte as possible successors. Nagelsmann has been out of work since Jurgen Klopp replaced him as Germany's national team boss.
It is a miserable state of affairs for a club of United's standing. This is an institution that once demanded, and got, excellence as a matter of routine. Now its boardroom cannot even decide whether to sack a manager eight games into a season that began with genuine optimism.
It's a tough situation, there's no hiding from it, said Carrick. But what it looks like and what's next, I really don't know. I will always do what's best for this football club, I've said it all along and I don't change that now. I love what I do, I love the position I'm in. I feel the responsibility but we'll have to wait and see.
Palace ponder pulling the trigger on Sage
The situation in south London is, if anything, more advanced. Palace were booed off the Selhurst Park pitch on Sunday after following a 5-0 hammering by Brighton with defeat by Newcastle. The Eagles lie 17th, one place below United.
Brit Brief reports that Sage could beat Carrick to the unwanted title of the Premier League's first sacking of the season, with the club's hierarchy already drawing up a shortlist behind the scenes.
Sage, for his part, insists all is calm inside the club.
There is no noise inside the club, said Sage. The boos are normal because we don't have the result. The noise is the consequence of the result of the team, and at the moment we don't have what we expect. Inside, we are just really focused on solutions. How to be better, how to create the conditions to compete, and we will continue our work, and there's no noise inside.
He added that he had spoken with Parish during the week, but insisted the conversation had been about the game plan, not his future. He said he shares his strategy with the chairman and the technical staff, calling it normal.
Sage's words will strike many supporters as the familiar patter of a manager living on borrowed time. Chairmen rarely discuss succession plans with the man they intend to sack.
Why November decides managerial fates
There is a rhythm to these things, and English football has always respected it. Sacking season traditionally opens in November, once the international break offers a convenient window to change managers without midweek disruption. The clubs that dither past Christmas tend to be the ones dragged into a relegation fight they cannot escape.
The Daily Star notes that the pressure has already eased elsewhere. Fulham's win over Hull has bought Arbeloa breathing room, and Tottenham's first league victory has given De Zerbi a platform. But with November approaching, the margin for error is shrinking for the two men at the bottom of the table.
Carrick faces the most immediate scrutiny, while Sage must address Palace's defensive problems, a back line that has shipped seven goals in two home games against Brighton and Newcastle.
What happens next
For United, the decision rests with Wilcox and Berrada, both of whom saw the Bournemouth defeat in person. For Palace, it rests with Parish, a chairman known for his patience but who has already changed managers once this year. Both boards know the arithmetic: a new man appointed in November gets a full pre-season, a January window and 30 league games to save the club. Wait a month longer and the job becomes a fire fight.
The precedent is not encouraging for either incumbent. Managers who survive the first vote of confidence rarely survive the second.
FAQ
Who is most likely to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season?
Crystal Palace's Pierre Sage and Manchester United's Michael Carrick are the leading candidates, with Palace reportedly already drawing up a shortlist of replacements including Sean Dyche, Thomas Frank, Vitor Pereira and Robbie Keane.
How bad has Manchester United's start been?
United have taken seven points from eight games, their worst start since the 1986/87 season, and Carrick has won only two of 12 matches in all competitions.
Who could replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United?
Express.co.uk reports that United have shortlisted Fabian Hurzeler, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte as potential successors.