Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will always be loved at Man Utd, but Michael Carrick knows what held the Norwegian back, so he is doing something genius to avoid following those steps.
Michael Carrick is yet to taste defeat as Man Utd manager across his two interim spells, beating some truly elite managers in the process.
His interim spell so far is going much as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s did back in 2018, when he arrived as a breath of fresh air and could do no wrong.
Ruben Amorim deserves ___ % credit for Michael Carrick’s BRILLIANT start at Man Utd
Fill in the blank. Did Amorim lay the foundation for success at Old Trafford?
Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim as Man Utd managers split image
Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim as Man Utd managers
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However, he quickly got saddled with a narrative he simply couldn’t shake off, and it cost him the Man Utd job then, and a second chance at one now. Carrick knows what it is and is doing something genius to prevent the same scenario.
Michael Carrick and Head Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary's Stadium on August 22, 2021
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer trap at Man Utd
Solskjaer might not have won a trophy at Old Trafford, but it’s still beyond belief how many people write off his tenure as a failure.
This is a manager who had the team competing at the top of the table in an era where Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were at the peak of their powers.
He did it all the while scoring goals for fun and making the fans fall in love with watching the club again.
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However, the thing that haunted him throughout his tenure, and even worked against him when he was in the running for the job against Carrick, is that he could never convince people of his tactical abilities.
For all his victories over Guardiola, or the goals scored for fun, the narrative of “vibes” stuck with him.
How fair it was is a question that nobody can answer with certainty, but perception matters a lot in football.
Was Solskjaer just a master of man-management, delegating the actual coaching to his assistants? Or was he an underappreciated genius who could never quite convey his in-depth knowledge?
Either way, Carrick, who was Solskjaer’s assistant at the time, has seen up close what happens once the “vibes” tag sticks with you.
He’s doing something genius to fight it off from day one this time.
Michael Carrick’s genius way of avoiding the Solskjaer trap
Solskjaer might have been a tactical genius, but the way he spoke about the Man Utd DNA, effort, desire, and passion in the media ultimately hurt his stock.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first caretaker spell at Man Utd was UNREAL
Why do you think it went so well for Ole?
Solskjaer graphic
Getty Images
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Carrick, on the other hand, recognised this and is consciously dropping little tactical nuggets in his interviews to avoid the “vibes” narrative from settling in around him.
The same narrative has started to build around him because Amorim was such an intensely pragmatic manager when it came to his system, while Carrick has brought an instant upturn in form.
Carrick anticipated this, which is why he’s fighting it proactively in the press.
Be it his comment about “pigeonholing” Mainoo’s skill set unfairly, or his description of how Cunha will play differently to Dorgu, he has balanced the passion side of the argument with the tactical nous as well.
Off the pitch, players are talking about how Carrick takes the training sessions personally, ending the “man-management delegator” argument as well.
Carrick may or may not get the United job permanently, but he’s making sure that his tactical nous is never questioned, because he witnessed it putting a ceiling on Solskjaer’s stock at United, and after leaving United.
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