Manchester United: How Michael Carrick steered club towards Champions League
On the surface it looks pretty simple.
Carrick followed Fletcher’s lead by dropping Amorim’s three in the back line-up, pushing captain Bruno Fernandes into a more advanced role, recalling Kobbie Mainoo to play alongside Casemiro and sticking with him.
Carrick made just six changes to the starting line-up during his 10 games in charge.
Two of them have been suspended due to injuries, with Patrick Dorgu and Lisandro Martinez continuing to be sidelined. Two of the other four would replace Amad Diallo with Benjamin Sesko for the home win over Crystal Palace on March 1, then switch it back two games later following United’s defeat at Newcastle.
The final pair was Noussair Mazraoui playing at full-back for Diogo Dalot at St James’ Park, with Dalot then returning after one game after Mazraoui was ruled out through injury.
Manuel Ugarte, Ayden Heaven and Joshua Zirkzee played in four or more games. The same goes for Sesko and Mazraoui.
United’s relative lack of games (they have now been out for 23 days) means rotation is more of a choice than a necessity.
But Carrick’s influence goes much deeper.
Club sources note the sense of calm that has settled in the club.
The 44-year-old is a relaxed individual; An example of someone who does not get carried away by success or become overly despondent in the face of failure.
This comes across publicly in media briefings.
“I’m not going to sit here and get mad at you, if that’s what you’re asking,” was Carrick’s response before the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth when asked if he used anger as a management tool.
This attitude is in stark contrast to Amorim, who admitted to being emotional about his team’s performances. This led him to make ill-advised comments at the news conference.
Rather than being nervous, United’s staff at the Carrington training complex are fed up with Carrick’s attitude and feel they have more to offer.
Conversations between the head coach and Wilcox are said to be fewer now because there aren’t as many day-to-day issues to cover.
Sources who know Carrick say his intention is to strip education down to the basics. This resulted in shorter sessions, which critics argued showed players were not being trained hard enough.
In Carrick’s view, if the basics are correct and training reaches the right levels, intent provides more value than long-term practice.
Sources close to the players say the team is united, happy and enjoying their work.
Understandably, coaches Jonathan Woodgate and Jonny Evans focused their individual sessions on defenders. Travis Binnion focused on forwards, of which Sesko is also a big fan.
The appointment of Steve Holland is seen as a masterful move. Carrick’s previous relationship with his brother Graeme, through shared time spent working for the Football Association at St George’s Park, proved particularly useful, even if the final decision to bring Holland into the fold was the result of a unified plan.
The 23 points scored in the 10 matches since Carrick’s appointment were the highest points achieved in the Premier League during this period.
Games against Manchester City and Arsenal proved to be a stepping stone rather than a terrible start.
The victory over Mikel Arteta was one that truly resonated with Old Trafford bosses and proved beating City was not a one-off, as United have done periodically under several managers.
During this period, some of Carrick’s alternatives for the permanent role either fell into disrepute or became unusable; Roberto de Zerbi will be the final name if he accepts the job at Tottenham.
United’s stance is that they do not want to rush into a rendezvous and will take their time to come to a decision.
The truth is they aren’t talking to anyone yet.
There are some elements of Carrick’s management that remain unanswered this season; Including how he copes with a 60-game season compared to the optimum preparation time that would allow Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Casemiro to play every game under him.
It is also true that after pushing for Amorim’s appointment, Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada risked their own reputations if another important decision was made wrong.
Nothing is certain until an appointment is made, but it’s hard to imagine Carrick not being given the job if United maintain their momentum and qualify for the Champions League.
