Michael Carrick has enjoyed an excellent start to life in the Man Utd dugout and one decision he made against Arsenal has been picked up on.
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick has made an impact from the bench against Machester City and Arsenal
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It was a moment that was lost amid the mayhem at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, but it was also a snapshot of how Michael Carrick has thrust himself firmly into contention to stay on as Manchester United head coach beyond the end of this season.
There were only nine minutes to go when Patrick Dorgu went down with a hamstring injury. With a lead to protect, the most likely change would have been a defensive one, especially after Dorgu had been so diligent in helping Luke Shaw against Arsenal's threat down the right.
Noussair Mazraoui could have come on at that stage. Or another centre-back in Leny Yoro or Ayden Heaven. Perhaps another holding midfielder in Manuel Ugarte. Without wanting to rake over the past too much, that is exactly the kind of substitution Ruben Amorim would have made.
Instead, Carrick replaced a winger who was working as a full-back as well with an out-and-out striker. Benjamin Sesko came on and Matheus Cunha moved to the left, with Amad on the right. Given United were holding on to a lead against the Premier League's best team, it was a brave change.
Sesko's height might have been considered an advantage at set-pieces, but Carrick had centre-backs who could head the ball away in his armoury. The change spoke to a desire to remain an attacking threat and try to score again.
It proved to be a stroke of genius as well. Arsenal got their equaliser, but then Cunha picked the ball up in a deeper position thanks to Sesko's arrival, and the presence of the £73million striker forced Gabriel back, giving Cunha time and the angle to pick his spot. It was a stunning finish, but had a defender been on the pitch instead of Sesko, it wouldn't have happened.
The positivity of that change was noted in the dressing room. This is a United team that had become reactionary in recent months. More concerned with what the opposition are doing rather than themselves. Now, it feels like that is changing again.
There has been plenty of talk about the United DNA in the last few weeks, but this is part of it. Carrick is low-key, a coach without ego, and determined not to make headlines, but he has won the players over with his approach. There is a simplicity to some of it, but also an intent to work out how to hurt the opposition.
In games against Manchester City and Arsenal, it is United who have been the better team. In each match, they have had spells of control, and when they had to defend on Sunday, they did it well. The players are buying into the game plan because they are seeing that it works and they are seeing there is positivity behind it.
That is true with the changes as well. Across seven substitutes from winning positions against City and Arsenal, only one has been defensive, when Mazraoui came on for Amad after 88 minutes on Sunday. Even that was a change earned through the positivity eight minutes earlier.
Under Amorim, the substitutions had become formulaic. A defender for a defender, an attacker for an attacker. There was little attempt to change the shape or the flow of the game.
Carrick has been far more positive from the sidelines and he has had his rewards. He is fortunate to have a stronger bench than Amorim had in his final weeks at the club, but he is putting it to good use. It's another element of his work that is winning rave reviews inside Old Trafford.