Michael Carrick looks to be the next man to run the impossible gauntlet at Manchester United, but signs are that he could be on a collision course with Ineos like Ruben Amorim.
Ruben Amorim was sacked by Man Utd in remarkable circumstances after an explosive outburst in his last press conference, where he was eager to specify his role.
It’s clear that regardless of what Ineos try to put out there, the relationship breakdown is why Amorim was sacked, with poor results being secondary.
Michael Carrick is the new favourite for the Man Utd interim job, are you happy with this?
Manchester United Coach Michael Carrick celebrates at the end of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on December 2, 2021
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Now that Michael Carrick is close to a Man Utd return, it’s worth noticing that the man who is being seen as a calming source has the same stance as Amorim, which put him on a collision course with Ineos.
Ruben Amorim and Unai Emery
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Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim share a dicey trait
On paper, Amorim and Carrick couldn’t be more different from each other.
Carrick has United heritage, but more importantly, their systems, way of communication, and man-management approaches are completely different.
It’s why United went to look at former players as they, in theory, can provide the steadying of the ship in the short-term.
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However, Man Utd fans will get a sense of deja vu when they hear what Carrick’s thoughts are on the issue which caused friction between Amorim and Ineos.
It’s an open secret that Amorim didn’t take kindly to being asked to be more flexible in his tactical approach and blew up against Ineos.
Carrick, for all his calming demeanour, is the same when it comes to his style of play.
Back in 2023, when Carrick was in charge of Middlesbrough, and they were struggling to play out from the back, he was asked whether he would be open to changing his style.
His response? You couldn’t recognise whether it was said by Amorim or Carrick.
Carrick said: “I’m not gonna change the style of play. Cause it’s what I know, believe. We won’t be good coaches if we suddenly went down a totally different route.”
Being rigid was Amorim’s undoing
There’s credit to be had for a manager who completely believes in his own ideas, because that’s what makes them who they are.
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However, the best coaches have a set of principles, but how they execute them is flexible, which is what separates the good from the best.
Pep Guardiola, for example, used Ederson’s long kicks at Man City almost as much as he did Victor Valdes’ short-passing at Barcelona.
Sir Alex Ferguson switched up his systems to suit when he had Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, and when he had three athletic monsters in Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wayne Rooney.
Asking the players to play the same way instead of empowering them to unlock their strengths and hiding their weaknesses isn’t a sign of commitment; it screams lack of ideas beyond “Plan A”.
That was Amorim’s undoing at Old Trafford, and it’s a path Carrick has already walked at Middlesbrough.
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