For any Man Utd manager to be compared to Ruben Amorim is not a good thing, so Michael Carrick will want his “Shea Lacey” moment vs Newcastle to not be repeated.
The first loss for Michael Carrick as Man Utd manager came in his eighth game as the curse of St James’ Park continued in a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle.
It is now the second consecutive time that Man Utd have dropped points under Carrick when the gap between games was less than a week.
However, more worrying than that is Carrick having his “Shea Lacey” moment against Newcastle, which reminded of Ruben Amorim against Everton.
Ruben Amorim and his Manchester United players after drawing with Everton
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Loss to 10-men Everton under Amorim vs Loss to 10-men Newcastle under Carrick
Which defeat is worse? Did Carrick repeat any Amorim mistake from that game?
Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick as Man Utd managers
Ruben Amorim vs Everton and Michael Carrick vs Newcastle as Man Utd managers
Ruben Amorim was doomed against Everton with Shea Lacey call
The similarities between this defeat against Newcastle and United’s defeat against Everton are stark in an uncomfortable manner.
In both games, the opposition were reduced to ten men, but instead of taking advantage, United ceded it and dropped all three points.
That game against Everton is regarded as the nadir of Amorim’s reign because it exposed just how tactically rigid he was.
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Centre-back swapping was happening in that game when the team needed an attacking spark, and that tactical cowardice was summed up by Amorim not choosing to bring Lacey off the bench.
He was still waiting for his debut at the time, and that unpredictable spark is exactly what that game needed to potentially break open.
Amorim defended his decision after the game by saying that ‘experience internationals’ on the bench deserved to play over Lacey, which was flawed logic.
A few months on from that disaster, Carrick had his own Shea Lacey moment in another defeat to ten men.
Michael Carrick repeated Amorim’s mistake vs Newcastle
Against Newcastle, United again needed more invention and spark to break the game open.
To Carrick’s credit, his changes were proactive as he brought on more attackers instead of swapping his centre-backs, but there was a theme to his subs.
Of all the players on the bench, the five most experienced ones came on, regardless of the game situation.
Tyrell Malacia, the forgotten figure at Old Trafford, emerged from the shadows to have a poor game, while the likes of Ayden Heaven and Godwill Kukonki warmed the bench.
Heaven, in particular, was a good shout to start the game, but ended up playing zero minutes in what was an indefensible decision from Carrick.
This is not just said with the benefit of hindsight, because every Man Utd fan could have foreseen that Malacia’s cameo won’t end well.
When the stakes were high and the demand was fierce, Carrick retreated into his shell and trusted experience over a youthful spark.
That Amorim-like trait is the antithesis of what United stand for, and must not be repeated.
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