Carrick Revives ‘Sir Alex’ Formula in Dream Man Utd Start
Michael Carrick’s 3 bold tactical gambles spark a Manchester United revival, extending their unbeaten Premier League run and boosting top-four hopes.
The unintended consequence of being eliminated from both domestic cup competitions early and finishing the season with the fewest games since 1914-15 is that Manchester United's remaining campaign has been divided into blocks, before going without a game longer than usual.
They are currently in first place. United are 12 days away from visiting Everton.
For Michael Carrick, who was only appointed on January 13th, this is a good opportunity for his team to "refresh," for some players to "fix their minor issues and tensions," and "get some rest."
But it's also a time for reflection.
Carrick tried not to claim that Benjamin Cesco's injury-time equalizer meant their 1-1 draw with West Ham felt like an extension of their four-match winning streak, not the end of it, which it was.
However, he admitted that the overall assessment of the past month should be positive.
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"In the grand scheme of things, we take the points, clean ourselves up a bit, and evaluate them," he said.
"If you look at it over a five-game period, even just one draw is a big positive."
Carrick's early victories over title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal weren't as expected. Victories against Fulham and Tottenham were predictable, but they didn't come without some problems to resolve.
With Chelsea and Liverpool's failures, the final result is that United are in fourth place, and have a comfortable, but by no means crucial, advantage in the race to return to the Champions League, something few could have imagined after Ruben Amorim was dismissed following the draw at Leeds on January 4.
"We know how difficult it is to put together a run in this league," said Carrick, whose team are now unbeaten in nine league games, having been under three managers, including the initial interim, Darren Fletcher.
"Sometimes it happens naturally, it flows and everything clicks. You look really dangerous and there's a spark. Sometimes it feels a bit strange."
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Carrick is being asked whether his team can produce a winning performance against the opponents they are expected to beat.
Many felt West Ham were in that category, even though Nuno Espirito Santo's side were targeting their fourth win in five league games and were 2-0 up against Chelsea, only to lose the match.
Carrick couldn't secure a win.
What they did was take the risk of trying to get something out of a game they seemed to be losing.
When Manchester United drew against West Ham at Old Trafford in December, Amorim substituted an offensive player, substituting Mason Mount for Joshua Zirkzee 12 minutes before the end of the match.
His last change was to replace one defender, Lisandro Martinez, with another, Luke Shaw. Midfielder Koby Mainou and young forward Shea Lacey remained on the bench.
At the London Stadium, Carrick took a gamble. This wasn't the case with Cesco, who replaced Matheus Cunha, who was ineffective, a charge that could be leveled at all of United's attacking players on this occasion.
It was when he replaced full-back Diogo Dalot with Zirkzee eight minutes before the end of the period that the risk and reward element came into play.
Carrick switched to a back three and pushed players forward.
He knew there was a chance of conceding a second goal. That didn't happen, thanks to two brilliant saves from the second substitute, Lenny Yoro, and a save from Sane Lammens.
This meant that five minutes into injury time had passed, Carrick's team still had a chance. Cesco's brilliant finish ensured they didn't go home empty-handed.
Carrick said of his substitutes, "It's always beneficial to try to get something out of the game." "We all want our performance to be perfect, to do the best we can.
"Sometimes it doesn't happen, but that doesn't mean you give up.
"Obviously, we tried for it, three players behind and everyone else attacked to try to score. That's what we should do."
This attitude is straight from Sir Alex Ferguson's playbook. He was always willing to gamble to get the result he wanted, and he believes that's what led him to such late success in his illustrious career.
An 87th-minute winner against Arsenal, a 90th-minute winner against Fulham, and now a 95th-minute equalizer against West Ham.
Carrick is happy with 13 points from 15 in his first game.
As he rebuilds ahead of the next three matches, he'll be equally happy with the passion and never-say-die attitude that helped him win.
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