Manchester United don’t have much to complain about after a sterling derby victory, but the good news will keep coming for Michael Carrick.
There were many heroes in Manchester United’s stunning 2-0 victory over City, where the margin of scoreline flattered the visitors.
From Bruno Fernandes relishing a No. 10 role, to Kobbie Mainoo looking reborn after Ruben Amorim’s sacking, there were plenty of narratives.
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Most encouraging for Michael Carrick, however, will be the fact that the sole weak link in the derby day XI is also set to be solved soon.
Referee Anthony Taylor in the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Diogo Dalot was Man Utd’s weak link vs Man City
Diogo Dalot deserves credit for being United’s Mr Dependable, which is a moniker he has earned by putting himself through rigorous training that made him less injury-prone.
However, that doesn’t hide the fact that when he does play, which is more often than not, he is not very good.
Ruben Amorim’s back-three setup hid his weaknesses to an extent, as there was another CB to mop up behind him, but he’s struggling after a switch to a back-four.
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Against City, Dalot was lucky to escape a red card, which is a nightmare scenario when defending against Jeremy Doku.
It wasn’t just his reckless challenge; Dalot was also a weak link with the ball, playing wasteful passes and passing up good chances in the final third.
When everyone is playing badly, he goes under the radar as the levels expected of him just aren’t very high at the moment.
However, he stuck out like a sore thumb against City when he didn’t manage to raise his own level to match the team’s on the day.
Fortunately, Carrick is getting a replacement soon.
Noussair Mazraoui will be a huge boost for Michael Carrick
There was an outside chance that Noussair Mazraoui would be able to feature against City, but Morocco winning their AFCON semi-final put that to rest.
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Now that United came through that game successfully, Mazraoui’s return suddenly becomes a big boost instead of a necessity.
In an ideal case scenario, Mazraoui will come back to Old Trafford with a winner’s medal and full of confidence, but even if he doesn’t, his quality is undeniable.
While the back three setup helped hide Dalot’s weakness, it prevented Mazraoui from showing his strength.
He is at his best providing a steady ball-circulating outlet in close spaces, capable of whipping in a cross on the odd occasion.
In many ways, he’s the ideal full-back to tuck inside and circulate the ball for Carrick’s style of play, while Dalot is the polar opposite.
It doesn’t make United favourites to win against Arsenal, far from it, but on paper, an already formidable-looking United XI has just had its weak link fixed.
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