Michael Carrick has been praised for his decision-making in the Manchester derby
Michael Carrick has been praised for his decision-making in the Manchester derby
Former Manchester United star Ben Foster has pointed out a decision from interim boss Michael Carrick that helped his side defeat Manchester City on Saturday. The Englishman got off to a winning start at the Old Trafford dugout as his side claimed a 2-0 win over their 'noisy neighbours'.
Talking about the game on his Fozcast podcast, Foster made a point about how Carrick's thinking helped his side win the game even before a ball was kicked. He stated that the coach prepared for the game with plans to have impactful contributions from substitutes such as Matheus Cunha.
“Do you know what? It started before the game. Michael Carrick was doing an interview with Gary Neville and, obviously, [with] Cunha being on the bench, he made a point of saying, ‘What do you think about, what’s your thinking with having Cunha on?’ And he said, along the lines of basically, for me, the players that come on can have as much of an impact on the game as the players that start the game. And he’s right, you know. He is actually the finisher.
“If you can come on when your team are in a position of either level in the game or even one up and bring them good players on there who are really going to stretch it and really going to ask questions of the opposition when they’re tired, that is worth its weight in gold", he said (via United In Focus).
Carrick opted to drop both Cunha and Benjamin Sesko from the XI, instead starting Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo against Pep Guardiola's side. The Brazilian came off the bench for goalscorer Mbeumo and set up Patrick Dorgu for his side's second a few minutes later.
Manchester United put on a fine showing in front of their fans at Old Trafford to keep their hopes of UEFA Champions League football alive. Carrick's side are in fifth place on the log, one point behind reigning champions Liverpool in their hunt of a top four finish.
Manchester United captain sets record in derby win
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was in immaculate form for his side in a record-breaking performance against Manchester City. The Portugal international provided an assist in the first half as his side claimed a 2-0 win over their neighbours at Old Trafford.
Deployed in the number 10 role, Fernandes created four big chances in the derby clash, doing so for the second time this season. He became the first player to create 4+ big chances for a side against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Premier League since his appointment a decade ago.
Bruno Fernandes has now created 600 chances since his debut in the Premier League in 2020, by far the most of any player in that time. The next player to the Manchester United skipper on the list is Kevin De Bruyne, who created 168 chances less than Bruno's current tally.