‘Maybe That Helped’—Michael Carrick Reflects on Reason Behind Man Utd Resurgence

Michael Carrick is targeting four wins in a row as Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The interim manager has overseen a significant upturn. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

Michael Carrick has admitted that starting his spell as Manchester United interim manager with two of the toughest possible games may be responsible for the excellent results so far.

Carrick has overseen back-to-back-to-back wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham since taking over from short-term caretaker boss Darren Fletcher, with fans delighted to see the sudden improvement in performance following the end of the Ruben Amorim era.

“Getting the [Manchester City] game so quickly, it was step by step so I wasn’t looking too far ahead,” Carrick said on Thursday as he aims for four wins in a row this weekend, referencing the fact that the derby clash came just four days after he was appointed.

“People saying at the time the first two games were standout games, expecting a tough start, and in some ways maybe that helped to get the whole group focused and alive, going into both games.

“I didn’t really look too far ahead, I couldn’t allow myself to do that. But certainly over time, we got an idea of what we want it to look like coming through the door and certainly since we've been here, that comes a lot clearer, what direction we want to go in and how we want to play.”

Carrick added that he and his staff “feel confident” there has already been “a lot of growth.”

---

‘Focus’ Important for Man Utd Players to Achieve Targets

Achieving consistency is key. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside/Getty Images

Carrick’s three consecutive wins in his first three games has already equalled Amorim’s longest winning run. The Portuguese boss took 11 months to achieve back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time and consistency was, ironically, consistently lacking.

United are targeting Champions League qualification for next season, which means securing a top-four finish in the Premier League—top five might also be good enough through the existence of European Performance Spots handed out by UEFA to two countries each year as a reward.

Not only is Champions League football important for prestige, but it’s vital for the budget too, serving as a lucrative stream of revenue United have missed out on in five out of 10 seasons since 2016; the Europa League is worth far less and no UEFA competition at all is obviously even worse.

United were three points off the top four when Carrick was hired. They are now fourth thanks to maximum points in his three games, but still only hold a one-point lead over Chelsea, who have also won three on the spin. Liverpool are only another point further back in sixth, although looking upwards the gap to Aston Villa in third has shrunk from 11 points to just five.

The tight and competitive nature of that portion of the table makes it vital to keep pushing and not let the level of the last three weeks slip away as a flash in the pan.

“The players have been spot on and fully focused, to be honest. We are aware of the bigger situation of what ifs and what might happen. But, as a player, you're focused on what's ahead of you and trying to achieve what you can at this moment in time, for the rest of the season,” Carrick said.

“I've got no issues, no concerns. The lads have been better than you could imagine in terms of [getting] fully invested in it. We’re just focusing on being better and getting ourselves and this club to where we want to be. It’s small steps, but it’s obviously a big end to the season we’re looking towards.”

---