Michael Carrick returned his most impressive performance precisely when required as he took questions in the midst of the first crisis engulfing him as Manchester United’s manager.
His team are bombing in the league after the club’s poorest start since 1986 and out of the Carabao Cup, and after Tuesday’s Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid Lisandro Martínez showed up ruptures at United by calling out the director of football, Jason Wilcox.
All of this two months into a first full campaign piloting United after last term ended so rosily for the former United midfielder.
On the final day of last season, United won 3-0 at Brighton and Carrick secured an impressive third-place finish, 48 hours after agreeing a two-year deal to continue as head coach.
By last Saturday, United had six points from the first six games after drawing 1-1 with Tottenham at Old Trafford, placing Carrick’s job in jeopardy as the walls closed in on him a fortnight before the clocks go back.
A game at Leeds in January proved to be Ruben Amorim’s last in charge at Manchester United after he greeted the 1-1 draw by demanding his colleagues in the recruitment department “do their job”. With an uncanny circularity Carrick heads to Elland Road on Sunday after Martínez made similar comments. Amorim’s team were sixth going into that game; Carrick’s start the weekend 13th.
On Friday, though, came a masterclass from Carrick in dialling down emotion as Martínez’s explosive comments about Wilcox – “I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director” – were addressed and he repeatedly referred to the “really good feeling” at the club.
“It’s really not a drama for us as a group,” he said. “The boys have trained really well. This morning there was a really good feeling around the squad … so we’ve moved on pretty quickly.”
If this seems less than credible, and almost certainly a stance coached by United’s PR mandarins, what else would Carrick be expected to say? More obvious was how the zen-like performance required from the club’s leader was being delivered. Even when he broke from the script to interrupt an inquisitor this strengthened the sense of Carrick being in control – hardly easy given the heightened glare on United since Tuesday evening.
When the positive vibes trope was challenged by a questioner saying: “We’ll have to take you at face value”, Carrick’s interjection came with a smile. “I’m telling you the truth when I say that,” he said. “Do you not believe me, no? The players totally believe me. I’m telling you the truth. The squad today was in a fantastic place, better than I’ve seen it for a while, actually, and that’s it, plain and simple, you know? We’re emotional, we’re passionate, we care a lot.”
When signing on to be the permanent United manager, Carrick had overseen only 21 games at elite level – in two caretaker spells at the club. United had only 17 league games to play when he replaced Amorim, and Carrick has shown signs of faltering this season when having to compete on four fronts.
Elimination by Brighton at the earliest stage of the Carabao Cup was not a great calling card regarding an ability to juggle competitions, and there was a surprising reaction from him after the 2-0 opening-day loss at Hull. He bridled at the suggestion United had lacked “passion” during a first-half horror show. “Oh come,” Carrick said. “That’s ridiculous.”
A faulty United rearguard is hampering an attack that is functioning far better and has the most shots (125) and most touches in the opposition box (205) in the Premier League. Nine goals from six matches is not paltry but greater ruthlessness would transform a promising front six into a potent one. Carrick has to find the right blend from Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba.
Baleba has sparkled in his first two appearances – against Spurs and Atlético – and might have provided the shield from the No 6 berth to ensure a less leaky defence had he not arrived injured.
This has to be the hope for Carrick. Playing Tielemans at No 10 at Atlético suggests the manager may doubt the 29-year-old’s legs, and questions have been raised about whether United are putting in enough of the hard yards. Their 671.4km distance covered in the league is the fifth-lowest (Arsenal’s 716.2km is the highest), and their 581 sprints the fourth-lowest (Brentford’s 765 the most).
The trip to an always febrile Elland Road that saves a particular welcome for their cross-Pennines rivals presents a stern challenge. Leeds are ninth and have lost once.
“It’s a great rivalry,” Carrick said, who was full of praise for his Leeds counterpart, Daniel Farke. “There’s big history between the clubs, the areas. That’s what makes these types of games special. You’ve got to embrace the history, what it means.
“I’m sure it will be a fantastic atmosphere on Sunday. It brings an intensity and it’ll be a little bit extra again, on Sunday against us … Of course, we have to be ready, and the boys will be.”
Carrick requires a positive result, though in denying this, he again sounded the right note. “I don’t need results, we all need results,” he said. “It’s not about me. Manchester United is a lot bigger than any individual, bigger than me, bigger than any player, anyone else who works at this club. It’s not about me, so please …
“I don’t go into every day at work, in this situation, this game, thinking about me. It’s about what we stand for, what we live for, the history, the things that we need to live up to, and that’s what drives us. So whatever’s best for the club and for the team on Sunday is the most important thing.”
