Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images
Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images
Jose Mourinho didn’t have the best time in the UCL as Man Utd manager, but his Real Madrid return has given Michael Carrick the success template.
As Michael Carrick is set to take charge of his first UCL game as permanent Man Utd manager, there is an undercurrent of expectation.
The start to the Premier League season hasn’t gone according to plan, but English teams have generally dominated Europe in the last few years.
Man Utd can add their name to that list this season if they follow the template provided by Jose Mourinho.
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Jose Mourinho gives Michael Carrick the UCL template
Man Utd fans are not fooling themselves into thinking that this is a better team than the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, or PSG, to name a few.
Mourinho has made his return to Real Madrid and his first test was a tricky one against Inter.
Mourinho might have lost the lustre that once made him one of the best in the world, but he is a master of tournament format.
Exactly why that is the case was clear against Inter, as Madrid put in a classic Mourinho performance to emerge 2-1 winners.
The game finished with Madrid having just 36% of the ball despite playing at home, but they created more xG, had more shots on target, more big chances, more open-play xG, and carried the far bigger threat.
The plan was simple. Sit in a mid-block or a low-block, release the pacey attackers up front quickly after a turnover, and let them wreak havoc on transitions.
Against teams that are happy to have the ball, Mourinho’s game plan comes alive. That is the template for Carrick to succeed as well.
Harry Maguire will be key to Man Utd’s UCL campaign
It has been a curious quality of Man Utd to match the level of their opponents under Carrick.
Part of that is down to mentality, but the other part is genuinely because United are suited to teams playing with the ball.
Some of United’s best results under Carrick came when they ceded the initiative in possession, let Harry Maguire clear everything in the box, and positioned Bruno Fernandes to release runners quickly.
It’s why there is cautious optimism that United will actually do better against the bigger teams, because the porousness of their defence will be sorted by playing deeper.
Maguire’s ability in both boxes makes him the key presence in this UCL campaign, because no other defender is as dominant aerially as he is.
Clear it from one box, and hopefully head it in down the other end will be Carrick’s mantra for his centre-back.
Maximisation of resources at its finest is the name of the game in UCL.