Michael Carrick Is Off to a Flyer at Man Utd—But the Real Acid Test Starts Now

A forgiving run of fixtures may not be the blessing it would appear to be on paper.

Michael Carrick has beaten the Premier League’s top two already. | Visionhaus/Getty Images, James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

It’s safe to say life at Manchester United could hardly be going better for Michael Carrick.

The interim manager has overseen two enormous victories from his first two games, seeing off Manchester City in the derby before denting Arsenal’s Premier League title charge with a famous away win.

Add that to his caretaker spell from 2021, when he beat Arsenal and Villarreal either side of a draw with Chelsea, and it becomes easy to see why many are calling for Carrick to be given the permanent job at the end of the season.

Such a significant decision will not be made on the back off such a small sample size, however. Carrick has plenty of credit in the bank, but if he wants to earn the full-time United job, February’s upcoming fixtures could be more important that any triumph over City or Arsenal.

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How Carrick Has Turned Things Around for Man Utd

Tactical tweaks have worked for Man Utd. | Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Following the departure of Ruben Amorim in early January, United’s decision to find an interim boss and not a permanent replacement suggested they simply wanted somebody to come in and steady the ship.

Carrick did away with Amorim’s unconvincing 3-4-2-1 ways, reintroducing a 4-2-3-1 formation which appears to get the best out of the current squad, and offered a gentle reminder of what it truly means to play for United.

Players have been empowered and are playing with confidence for the first time in over two years. They could have hit double figures against City and flashed the sort of tactical discipline needed to best an Arsenal side leading the way in both England and Europe.

Understandably, the excitement has led to calls for Carrick to be given the full-time gig. Those upstairs at Old Trafford will have taken notice, but it is not his performance in those high-profile fixtures that will decide Carrick’s future.

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Ruben Amorim’s Record vs. Big Six Rivals

Ruben Amorim’s tenure was full of highs and lows. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

One of the primary criticism’s of Amorim’s United was their inconsistency. You could usually see the vision, the way Amorim truly wanted his side to play, only when they faced off against elite opponents.

Opponent	Wins	Draws	Losses
Man City	1	1	1
Arsenal	1	1	2
Tottenham	0	1	3
Liverpool	1	1	0
Chelsea	1	0	1

The numbers prove that Amorim’s United could hold their own at the top level. To have a winning record against Liverpool, share the spoils with both Man City and Chelsea and only marginally fall to Arsenal is no mean feat for the Portuguese boss, who has every right to think he should have better numbers against the Gunners after a dominant performance on the opening weekend.

And yet, it was not these games that defined Amorim’s tenure. It was failing to beat West Ham United, Brentford, Nottingham Forest or Bournemouth. It was falling to two defeats and a draw in four games against Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was making hard work of Fulham, Everton, Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Amorim’s United thrived as the underdogs. However, as the overdogs, they were a wildly inconsistent unit who rarely passed up the chance to throw away their tag as the favourites to pick up three points.

Carrick’s squad is the same unit of players that fell to those disappointing results—plus the return of Kobbie Mainoo from purgatory. They have already proven their ability in those big games from Amorim’s tenure. Now is the time to see what, if anything, has changed.

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Man Utd’s Next Five Fixtures After Arsenal Win

February will tell us a lot about this Man Utd. | Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Based on both club stature and the deserved adoration for their recent upturn in form, United will be the favourites for each of their next five games.

First up is a visit from Fulham. Marco Silva’s side head into the game four points behind United in seventh, having clearly flashed the ability to hang in the European race—a 2–2 draw with Liverpool and 2–1 win over Chelsea prove that.

A fascinating meeting with Tottenham Hotspur is next up on the schedule. Amorim never beat Spurs, losing three of his four games, including the Europa League final, but Thomas Frank’s outfit are in complete disarray. 14th in the standings and still searching for their first Premier League win of the calendar year, Carrick should be able to do what his predecessor could not and pick up three points.

Relegation-threatened West Ham host United on Feb. 10, before a welcome break will give Carrick 13 days to prepare for Everton and David Moyes, who was the gold standard when it came to bad United managers before Amorim arrived.

March begins with a date with Crystal Palace. The Eagles are another side flirting with crisis, having lost captain Marc Guéhi and seen manager Oliver Glasner, a key target for United, confirm his departure at the end of the season.

If Carrick can navigate these fixtures with the same success as his first two games, then it may be time to start having a conversation. The interim boss has clearly made an immediate impact but, while he deserves significant credit for that, has yet to show us anything we did not already know about this United side.

United’s search for a permanent manager will not have slowed down yet, but a strong return of points across February may well make Carrick’s case a tough one to ignore.

Opponent	Date	Venue
Fulham	Feb. 1	Old Trafford
Tottenham Hotspur	Feb. 7	Old Trafford
West Ham United	Feb. 10	London Stadium
Everton	Feb. 23	Hill Dickinson Stadium
Crystal Palace	March 1	Old Trafford

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