Michael Carrick wasn't afraid to make some big calls as he led Manchester United to a 2-0 victory over Man City on Saturday.
Michael Carrick celebrates with Matheus Cunha
Michael Carrick celebrates with Matheus Cunha
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A new manager always means new ideas at a football club, but few expected to see Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha on the bench as the Michael Carrick era was launched against Manchester City. The pair had started the previous six games, a run that would likely have stretched even further were it not for Sesko's injury.
Sesko was the standout performer in Darren Fletcher's two games in interim charge. The Slovenian scored three in two games, with Fletcher making a point of spending time with the young striker in a bid to build his confidence.
"I sat down with him yesterday and showed him some videos of his movement and how the opportunities are going to come, to just keep believing, keep making the runs," said Fletcher after the win over Burnley. "The rest of the team have to look for him more as well."
Dropping Sesko to the bench, or more accurately choosing Bryan Mbeumo to lead the line, proved to be a touch of genius from Carrick. City simply could not cope with the fluid nature of United's frontline, with youngsters Max Alleyne and Rico Lewis in particular struggling to track runs and ultimately looking like the magnitude of the occasion had chewed them up and spat them out.
Huge credit must go to - and has gone to - United and Carrick.
Cunha's omission from the matchday XI didn't raise quite as many eyebrows. The return of Mbeumo and Amad to the matchday squad meant United had far more options than they had during their stints away at AFCON, but just a few weeks earlier Cunha was threatening to register their absences moot with some fine displays.
When Mbeumo and Amad jetted off to AFCON, United needed Cunha to step up and prove he could be the main man. Having thrived when given the same responsibility at Wolves it was no surprise to see him take the challenge head-on, producing good displays against Aston Villa and Newcastle before dragging United to a point at Elland Road.
United are a club that have become accustomed to false dawns and the unlocking of Cunha threatened to be another. The Brazilian has struggled since his virtuoso outings and regressed markedly in games with Burnley and Brighton.
Being dropped to the bench immediately upon Amad and Mbeumo's return would have been a blow to Cunha, though Carrick insisted he had a part to play in the derby.
"We’ve got a good squad of players, that’s something that we’ve got to decide on. There was always going to be players disappointed not to start," Carrick told Gary Neville pre-match. "But finishing the game is even more important these days. They’ve [Cunha and Sesko] got huge talent. It’s not personal at all. I’m a big fan of both boys and they’ll make a big difference for us."
Cunha has been one of United's shining lights this season(Image: )
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How right the United interim head coach was once again.
Carrick got exactly the response he would have wanted from Cunha, the Brazil international instrumental in ensuring United's fine display resulted in three points as he teed up Patrick Dorgu for the second before being a marginal offside away from grabbing his second assist of the game for Mason Mount late on.
And Cunha has spoken glowingly in his native Brazil about Carrick, despite not starting his opening match.
“We are still getting to know [Michael] Carrick," he told Globo. "He is a highly respected name, not only at United, but throughout the Premier League. He has written his story here in the most positive way possible and brings with him a winning mentality worthy of the club. He knows the way to victory.
"We now have until the end of the season to achieve our objective, which is to return to the Champions League. It depends entirely on us, and we will give it our all.”
While some may argue United's free midweeks are a good thing for a new coach in that he will have more time on the training ground with his new players, the truth is there are just as many downsides to United's clearer schedule.
It's nigh-on impossible to build momentum when you have a week between games, and it's tough to put a positive spin on selection decisions when you're only playing one game a week. There is no need to rest players or for rotation, so if a player is named on the bench the simple fact is they haven't been adjudged to be part of the best XI to win the game.
The next few months are really going to test the character of some of these United players but the early signs are good.
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