Michael Carrick deserves huge credit for the way he masterminded Manchester United’s win over Manchester City.
With just three days to prepare for the match, interim head coach Michael Carrick and his staff devised a game plan good enough to outclass Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
United beat City 2-0 at Old Trafford, and frankly, United should have won by more. The Red Devils had three goals chalked off, but even without them, they inflicted City’s heaviest ever expected goals (xG) defeat under Guardiola.
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Even Sir Jim was off his seat!
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Carrick exposed Ruben Amorim’s mistakes by stripping United back to the basics. The players lined up in a 4-4-2 shape reminiscent of the years under Sir Alex Ferguson.
After the full-time whistle, Carrick told media he was ‘proud’ of the performance, but he sent a slightly altered version of that message to his players.
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Michael Carrick’s post-match message to Man United players
The term ‘United DNA’ has been thrown around a lot since Carrick’s return as head coach, but it seems his connection and understanding of the club did have a big impact on the derby performance.
Lisandro Martinez piled praise on Carrick and his staff for the work they did in such a short amount of time.
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According to the Daily Mail, Carrick’s post-match speech to United players was a calm but clear one.
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Carrick reportedly said: “It’s really important we don’t get carried away. It’s one game. That level of performance needs to be a version of normal.”
Considering many are labelling Saturday’s performance the best from United in years, Carrick is staying level-headed, and he wants his players on the same page.
At just 44 years old, Carrick is still a very young and inexperienced coach. But he has clearly not forgotten the standards set by Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at Old Trafford in his playing days.
Michael Carrick’s biggest challenge is consistency
Despite United’s struggles in the past decade, fans have still been treated to strong one-off performances, often against big rivals.
The challenge for every head coach post-Ferguson has been staying consistent. Carrick’s biggest challenge is yet to come, in his remaining 16 matches in charge.
Up next for United is a trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal. Carrick beat Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal when he was previously the caretaker boss, and he will be hoping for a repeat result on Sunday afternoon.
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Beyond that, United need to prove they can repeat their derby performance on a consistent basis, against clubs of every size.
The worst performances this season have come against sides who turn up and sit deep, challenging United to break them down. If Carrick can get that right, he has a run at the permanent appointment.
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