A first home Premier League defeat to bitter cross-Pennine rivals might prove more valuable to Manchester United and Michael Carrick after a largely uncomplicated rise into the top five.
Carrick had sod all to lose when he stepped into Ruben Amorim’s white-soled shoes. Though he remains favourite for the permanent role, the deserved defeat to Leeds United brings a fresh intensity to the season finale and offers the higher-ups a chance to observe Carrick in a more realistic, pressured light.
Yet when the wheels fell off against Leeds and United channelled the same clueless rhythms of Amorim’s construct, Carrick’s minimalist man in black energy was quickly stripped of its aura. He looked more lost than found. The sotto voce exchanges with assistant coach Steve Holland conducted behind secretive hands did not help either, suggesting agitation not control.
The truth is United’s run into Champions League contention deflected from some scratchy displays in which they benefitted from the kind of decisions that went against them versus Leeds and Bournemouth.
The red card received by Crystal Palace was more than harsh and changed the thrust of a match United were losing. Even with 10 men Tottenham Hotspur were in the contest at Old Trafford until the second goal went in. United were fortunate to edge Fulham in Carrick’s third match and were awful for an hour at West Ham.
Were Chelsea and Liverpool not so abject in this period, United’s level, and poor squad depth, would perhaps be more accurately reflected in the table. Though Carrick deserves credit for shifting the mood, for simplifying selection and approach, he has also been getting away with it to a degree.
None could have complained had United fallen three behind to Leeds by half-time. They were slow and passive going forward and the defence was disconnected from a midfield weakened by Manuel Ugarte’s baffling failure to adapt.
The fixture at Chelsea is now a much stiffer test, the consequences of failure greater. Ditto the home games against Brentford and Liverpool. Carrick must not only contend with a defence torn out of shape by suspension, but an atmosphere amped by risk and the fear of surrendering all the gains made.
This is, of course, a much more accurate rendering of the job, a more realistic reflection of the hyper challenge facing the United coach, for whom draws are disasters never mind defeats.
The club hierarchy now have a more meaningful, real-time telemetry from which to collect evidence and inform decision-making. Perhaps Carrick is not as nailed on as sentiment suggests. Given the roll-call of post-Sir Alex Ferguson failures, United can ill afford to pick on sentiment.
After all, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer achieved the same kind of lift as Carrick when following the moribund, joyless reign of Jose Mourinho, even went an unprecedented season unbeaten away from home, albeit in a Covid-warped environment.
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The complexion of the role changed under permanent conditions, when Solskjaer was no longer inheriting a mess but creating his own. Carrick’s management sample is tiny, one club, and outside the top tier. Had he not had a stellar career at Old Trafford, Carrick would not be afforded this opportunity.
Familiarity as much as proven management ability propelled him into his improbable position. To hand him the role on the basis of his short stint as caretaker would still constitute a huge risk, and one Sir Jim Ratcliffe would never take were he seeking a leader in his petrochemicals business.
Football is not commerce, of course, at least not at its core, and Carrick clearly has a handle on key aspects of the United experience. However, the Leeds game introduced a corrective element, one that the United hierarchy would be foolish to ignore.
