Michael Carrick Sends ‘Bang Out of Order’ Warning to Man Utd Squad

The Red Devils take on Fulham in a very different challenge from Carrick’s first two games.

Michael Carrick will lead Man Utd until the end of the season. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Michael Carrick warned his Manchester United players that it would be “bang out of order” to underestimate a visit from Fulham on Sunday while conceding that they may be forced to replicate the approach which suited them so well against Manchester City and Arsenal.

After convincingly beating the leading two Premier League sides, Carrick was at pains to warn against complacency for this weekend’s visit from seventh-placed Fulham. “Marco [Silva] has got into a really good team,” the former midfielder pointed out. “Just because we’re at home, taking anything for granted is bang out of order, really.”

The buildup to Sunday’s fixture has been dominated by speculation as to how Carrick will deal with a dramatic change in dynamic: his side are now the clear favourites against Fulham. He had a counterpoint: perhaps they would continue to play like underdogs.

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‘No Shame in That’—Carrick Teases Submissive Approach

Carrick has inspired a positive change. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

United’s derby win over City was just their second victory at Old Trafford since Halloween. It was a triumph which swung on surgical counter-attack through the middle and saw the Red Devils record just 32% possession, the fourth-smallest share of the ball recorded by United in a home game over the past 20 years.

Many United managers of the past would consider it an embarrassment to have Fulham come to the Theatre of Dreams and assume the attacking impetus. But not Carrick.

“So it might be a case [that] it’s the same flow of the game as what we’ve had the last two weeks,” the reliably unflappable head coach shrugged. “No shame in that. We’ll deal with the game, what’s in front of us, and do whatever it takes for us to be able to come out on top.”

Fulham have an impressive tendency to turn up against the division’s elite with bespoke tactical plan devised by Silva. The Cottagers took four points off back-to-back games against Liverpool and Chelsea in January while pushing Arsenal and especially Manchester City close in defeats earlier this year. However, if Silva is to orchestrate another masterclass against United, he will have to adopt a different approach to the one which earned his side a 1–1 draw back in August.

It's Carrick you know. pic.twitter.com/6lUtk8sPI2

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Faced with Ruben Amorim’s beloved 3-4-2-1, Silva knew exactly how to outwit his compatriot. “We knew how they defend and we know they like to squeeze from the back five,” he revealed post-game. “And if you don’t give bodies for them to squeeze from the back five you can create superiority in the middle. We know they play with two in the middle, we tried to overload with our three plus Alex [Iwobi]. It was as simple as that.”

Carrick has shifted back to a 4-2-3-1, bulking up the central area with Kobbie Mainoo to support Casemiro who both sweep up behind Bruno Fernandes.

The club captain’s return to his favoured No. 10 position has been crucial to United’s recent change of fortunes—Fernandes assisted goals against City and Arsenal—but Silva will have watched how he and Bryan Mbeumo swapped positions to ensure that one of them was always tip-toeing in that nebulous region between the lines.

Beyond the tangibles, United have undoubtedly benefitted from a sense of positivity and belief instilled by Carrick. Quite how long that can last remains to be seen.

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Vibes Alone Can Only Last So Long

Man Utd are on a high after back-to-back wins. | Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Any successful football manager has to share a troubling number of traits with a cult leader. Lisandro Martínez certainly came across as a disciple who has drunk Carrick’s Cool Aid with his gushing praise of the incoming coach.

“For me, when you touch my heart, I will give everything for you, and he touched it already and you can see that on the pitch we give everything,” the passionate Argentine told Stan Sport this week.

“You need people who understand your quality, and I think [Carrick] is doing that,” Martínez added. “He’s getting the best out of everybody, not just the players, but the staff. The standard, structure, and demands, are really important.”

Carrick has not shirked away from this emotional approach. “You’ve got to play with feeling. You got to play with emotion. You got to play with excitement,” he told assembled media on Friday. Yet, that good will can be fickle.

Amorim hadn’t even taken charge of his first Manchester United game by the time players were already queuing up to laud his “top training sessions.” Ironically enough, Marcus Rashford was one of the first to hail his new Portuguese coach before promptly finding himself exiled by the same figure.

Even after Amorim left, several players hailed the departing manager, but these same figures were the ones who simply stopped running with the same intensity by the end of his tenure.

For all his positivity, Carrick rightly urged for some caution. “A couple of weeks is a couple of weeks,” he said in his best impression of Roy Keane. “It’s good, but it’s two weeks. And we’re definitely aware that it’s something we need to extend for longer.”

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