Michael Carrick can do no wrong right now, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s just “vibes”, as he added another feather to his tactical brilliance with a brave decision against Spurs.
An unchanged team has been named in the last two games by Michael Carrick because he didn’t want to change a winning team.
However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t made slight tactical tweaks to suit the opposition, which is the sign of a brilliant manager.
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The bravest of all came against Spurs, where he made a Matheus Cunha–Bryan Mbeumo decision to bamboozle the opposition.
Michael Carrick, Manager of Manchester United, talks with Luke Shaw of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on February 07, 2026
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Michael Carrick’s Bryan Mbeumo-Matheus Cunha decision
On paper, it didn’t make sense to change how Mbeumo and Cunha work together, because they’ve been doing it to devastating effect in the last two games.
Still, some tweaks to counter specific threats by the opposition are the sign of a great manager, and it was visible against Spurs.
So far, Mbeumo has started as a striker in Carrick’s 4-2-3-1, stretching the defences with his last-man running.
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Cunha has played off the left, where he has the freedom to cut inside on his favoured right foot and unleash shots on goal from range.
Against Spurs, however, Carrick knew that with Micky van de Ven’s pace, there was no point engaging Mbeumo in a running battle against the Spurs defender.
Therefore, he swapped Cunha and Mbeumo’s positions, leading to the Spurs’ defence facing a threat of a new kind.
Instead of constantly looking over their shoulder for Mbeumo’s runs, they had to look out for dizzying one-twos and the constant positional movement of Cunha.
Mbeumo, in contrast, found joy down the left, as he played as a traditional winger to give United the threat they had with Patrick Dorgu down that side.
Carrick is showing long-term tactical mastery
There are questions whether this run of form is simply down to a new manager bounce, but these are the kind of tweaks that hint at sustainable progress.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, for example, gave the players freedom and refreshed the tone of the dressing room, with his tactical style being more fluid and player-dependent.
Carrick is giving the players freedom as well, but it’s within a platform, and slight tactical tweaks are made in every game to counter opposition threats.
This is a sign of long-term tactical mastery, not just “vibes”, which can fade after a poor result or two.
It remains to be seen whether Carrick gets the job permanently, but he’s making a pretty good case for himself so far to shed the Solskjaer comparisons.
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