Michael Carrick can do no wrong at the moment, but what he did with Benjamin Sesko against Arsenal exposed his predecessor, Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United are in dreamland after back-to-back victories over Arsenal and Manchester City, but Benjamin Sesko has been the odd man out.
After being dropped vs Man City entirely, Sesko was limited to a cameo off the bench against Arsenal after Patrick Dorgu’s injury.
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Carrick has ensured Sesko doesn’t feel alienated, however, and the decision he took with him vs Arsenal exposed Ruben Amorim’s stance that held Man Utd back.
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Michael Carrick’s Benjamin Sesko decision vs Arsenal
The case for Bryan Mbeumo to play ahead of Sesko as a striker is clear in big games, as Carrick instructs his team to hold their shape and transition quickly.
They need a free-roaming, fluid attacking setup for that instead of a focal point in Sesko, but the Slovenian will have his uses.
After all, Carrick’s style of play unleashes natural strikers like nothing else, so there is need to be patient because Carrick knows what he’s doing.
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Against Arsenal, Carrick also showed how fearless he is, as when Dorgu went down injured with United leading, he doubled down on his attacking instinct.
Sesko was brought in place of Dorgu as Carrick tried to keep the Arsenal defence honest and occupied.
Sesko played a role in United’s third goal, chesting down a long ball for Bruno Fernandes before his combination play with Kobbie Mainoo unleashed Matheus Cunha in plenty of space.
The decision to go brave with Sesko instead of battening down the hatches to conserve a 2-1 lead exposed Amorim’s stance that held back United.
Sesko decision exposed Ruben Amorim’s stance
People will take these decisions for granted with the benefit of hindsight, but about a month ago, Man Utd had a manager who would have brought on more defenders to scrape a result.
Amorim’s defensive subs ignited the ire of fans like nothing else, with the nadir coming against Everton at Old Trafford.
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Not only would he refuse to change the shape and commit players forward, but most of his subs, especially when leading, would also indicate to the team that he wanted a backs-to-the-wall defensive display to protect it instead of piling on.
Naturally, it often led to late equalisers for the opposition, which was conveniently attributed to mental fragility, ignoring how the manager continues to invite pressure on the players.
It’s not even the first time Carrick’s proactive subs have exposed Amorim, as he took a similar decision against City when leading.
He brought on Matheus Cunha while leading, who would assist Patrick Dorgu’s goal to end that game as a contest.
A way to avoid conceding points by giving up late goals is to score a few ourselves. Carrick has brought about that mentality shift from day one.
The Sesko decision just exposed again why Amorim was the antithesis of everything United stand for.
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