Alas poor Carrick...WTF has happened?
- Thread starter Carl
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he's ace but i'm not liking his facial hair, he needs to sort it out if he's going to be taken seriously
it needs to be full beard or nothing, pirlo has the right idea, carrick would look fearsome with a full beard
it needs to be full beard or nothing, pirlo has the right idea, carrick would look fearsome with a full beard
His left foot is ridiculous as is his passing in general.
Whilst not being poor, I didn't think he had a particularly good game yesterday. Very conservative and solid, but I've grown used to him setting our attacks off with a lethal through-ball which slices through the oppositions midfield, bypassing 3-4 of their players, and I don't remember him doing that at all yesterday. Chelsea crowded the midfield out a bit, without looking to get forward too much themselves, so there were more bodies in there to for him to have to pass through, but it wasn't a game he imposed himself on at all.
Chelsea didn't want him to have the ball - they were much tighter on Carrick and were ready to block the avenues to him then they were with Cleverley - who they were pretty happy to have as much of the ball as he liked.
His awareness is just fantastic. When the ball is coming to him, and he's been closed down, he knows exactly where to pass to.
Lucky to have him. Best center midfield in the league at the moment. Top guy our Carrick.
Lucky to have him. Best center midfield in the league at the moment. Top guy our Carrick.
If only he was 5-6 years younger.
Yeah, they nullified him and Robin fairly well tbh, and they're two of our three most important players (the other being Vidic).
I thought Anderson might have changed the midfield dynamic a bit at the end, freeing Carrick up, or getting forward himself.
It was his pass through whole Chelsea's midfield for Rooney, when Rooney overhit that pass/delay for van Persie in first half.
Carrick is the best midfielder in the league by a mile...
He never seems to break a sweat and makes things look so easy..
Great player.
He never seems to break a sweat and makes things look so easy..
Great player.
How things and opinions change.
Said it since Alonso played in the Premiership, no difference in terms of level and capability between the two.
Said it since Alonso played in the Premiership, no difference in terms of level and capability between the two.
The frustrating thing with Carrick is that it really seems to be a shift in mentality that has brought the best out of him, it's not a sytem change or a personel change, just something has clicked. I mean I thought he was getting a hard time in the past but I still ackowledged that he had some mental issues which were stopping him imposing himself. If he had this confidence a few more years ago it would have been awesome.
Thought he was good against yesterday. It was difficult to find a telling ball yesterday because of the number of bodies in defence but I thought he played some great balls, left and right foot, and a top defensive contribution. Honestly although I thought Clev had a good game you can see the massive difference it makes having a top player in the middle, he's just got so much more to his game. Once again gonna need to pray he stays fit for the season. Thing is I want him playing for England but then I worry that he'll get more tired plus more chance of a knock.
Thought he was good against yesterday. It was difficult to find a telling ball yesterday because of the number of bodies in defence but I thought he played some great balls, left and right foot, and a top defensive contribution. Honestly although I thought Clev had a good game you can see the massive difference it makes having a top player in the middle, he's just got so much more to his game. Once again gonna need to pray he stays fit for the season. Thing is I want him playing for England but then I worry that he'll get more tired plus more chance of a knock.
He's getting better with age & he was never reliant on speed or physique, so I'd wager he still has at least 3-4 years at the top. Or so we can hope!
Probably, it just didn't seem a very dominant Carrick performance but as AN said, they did their best to stifle him.
Roy's first choice seems to be Gerrard, Cleverley and Wilshere. More fool him. I'm glad if Carrick gets rest. It'll be a long season for him seeing as he's undroppable for us.
I dunno I think he's gone with that because Carrick has kept dropping out. I think if he can push Wilshere forward he would want to as Wilshere is clearly superior to Clev there.
I think Cleverley and Wilshere are always going to play (not sure why he plays Cleverley in the hole over Wilshere though), the choice seems to be between Gerrard or Carrick and Gerrard is the captain. It'll be interesting to see if he changes things this time.
Maybe, hope not end of the day. Carrick should be a cert for the England team, exactly what you need at an international level.
I agree completely. I'd drop Gerrard. But I'm not moaning if Carrick gets a rest.
I personally believe that it was Scholes retiring. He was not given the responsibility to try and control or dictate a game, that was for Scholes. He could just give the ball to Scholes and let him do the rest.
Even if Scholes wasn't playing, he was in his shadow for that role, and to have that responsibility put on you at random didn't seem to suit him. I guess the confidence that comes with it being his role in every game will have helped a lot.
I dunno, there was a period when I thought that as well but then when you think back to late 08 onwards when Fletch was getting to his best, he and Carrick became first choice and I thought it was perfect for Carrick to now take on the playmaker mantle, with Fletcher backing him up. Personally I think that partnership was better than it's credited for often but I know that Carrick didn't become as imposing as he could have been and it was left to Fletcher to become the main man.
Then when you think to these last two seasons it's really not mattered who Carrick has played with, Clev, Ando, Jones, Giggs Scholes, Fletch he's just got on with it and his game hasn't changed regardless of who he's playing next too. I think then penny has just dropped with him.
As you said he got a run of games with Fletcher though, he wasn't just taking over from Scholes on the odd occasion.
And he is much more suited to playing with a Cleverley or a Fletcher - somebody who can put themselves about, carry the ball etc.etc.
Him and Scholes got in eachothers way a bit, both would be deep and carrick would lay the ball off for Scholes to spread it wide. It was quite unnecessary.
When he played with Fletcher and sometimes Hargreaves there was a player there to do the ball closing for him. Something that Anderson/Cleverley and Giggs don't possesses in spades. It's a hard role but it compliments Carrick's 'play reading' and 'intercept ability' perfectly.
Even last year when he was acknowledged for having an amazing season he still was a bit poor defensively. Fletcher getting injured has been a huge blow to us in the last couple of years if you ask me. His role is perfect for a player like Carrick and if those two were staple you'd probably have seen Cleverley play further forward in a more accommodating role for him. But then again we'd probably not have signed Kagawa and maybe even RvP.
This season, I'll be cutting even more clips of all our players, so my videos will be longer. I am, however, going to post individual (short) clips of great moments. All these clips will be in later videos anyway. 
I'll start off with this great Carrick pass:
I'll start off with this great Carrick pass:That's a bad clearance rather than a great pass surely.
I disagree. Carrick's our king at passing the ball first time. Before he even touches the ball, he takes a quick look and is aware of his surroundings.
He's got a yellow in both "big" games in the 1st half and we didn't won either of them.. Hopefully it's just rust but the management should think about maybe taking him off when we are chasing and he is on a yellow in the last 20mins..
Fairly average again today. Didn't create anywhere near enough and his passing wasn't too impressive in general.
Back to the slow start Carrick then.
Thought he'd become a player that you could rely on to perform in these games now. Obviously not. Not a poor game but not reaching the heights of last season.
Never deserved to be close to the red card in first place, I think he only made one or two actual fouls, all others were ridiculous.
His pass percentage in the first half (59%) was the worst I can remember from him. Better in the second half but still not near his top quality. However I think that this is just the usual slow start of the season.
I was very nervous he'd get a second yellow after the start of the second half - I even tried to come-up with a scenario that we could sub him without resorting to the Cleverley-Anderson partnership that regularly leaves us wide open, but naturally there are no options in that position. The best I could do was moving Valencia out of position (...again) and hope his work-rate could compensate for the lack of Carrick's defensive work in the centre.
He had some sloppy moments but don't think it was all his fault I think we're starting to suffer with teams really starting to pressure him now. That's the problem when you've only got one good passer in the middle, you can just commit men on him and if his partner can't make use of the extra time, which I don't think Clev can then it's a problem.
So, is it fair to to expect him to be even more creative now when Fellaini settles alongside him?
I always thought Carrick's contribution to our attacking play is underrated, his one touch passing, his passes with weaker foot, his quality of pass in general is on highest level, especially because he stays so deep, but now with Fellaini's arrival we will probably be much more stronger defensively, so Carrick could step up now in some other areas, playing maybe more risky passes in final third, press higher, maybe become bigger threat with his shooting because he obviously has strong shot with both left and right foot.
I am not expecting him to become Iniesta, but Manchester United version of Pirlo wouldn't be bad.
Discuss.
I always thought Carrick's contribution to our attacking play is underrated, his one touch passing, his passes with weaker foot, his quality of pass in general is on highest level, especially because he stays so deep, but now with Fellaini's arrival we will probably be much more stronger defensively, so Carrick could step up now in some other areas, playing maybe more risky passes in final third, press higher, maybe become bigger threat with his shooting because he obviously has strong shot with both left and right foot.
I am not expecting him to become Iniesta, but Manchester United version of Pirlo wouldn't be bad.
Discuss.
Would be nice to see but I think well see him play the exact same role with fellaini popping about everywhere doing all those things.
Carrick has been such a fantastic defensive nuance in this team that I don't think Moyes will loosen his shackles particularly.
Manchester United maestro Michael Carrick's England exile is 'beyond belief', claims Dietmar Hamann
http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/conte...ricks-england-exile-beyond-belief-claims-diet
http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/conte...ricks-england-exile-beyond-belief-claims-diet
Hodgson admitted instructing his players to "bypass the midfield", not to play the ball out from the back but to hit it long to Lambert and hope for knock downs.
Carrick would be pointless in a team set up to play that way. You don't need your best passers to play like that.
What is "beyond belief" though, is that Roy actually wants England to play this way.
Carrick would be pointless in a team set up to play that way. You don't need your best passers to play like that.
What is "beyond belief" though, is that Roy actually wants England to play this way.
Prett much bang on my thoughts. Setting up the way we did makes no sense. Instead of using a guy who has been pretty much the main midfielder or at least the most used one, as a deep lying screen, for the best performing team in England over the last 7 years, we use someone else who whilst a top midfielder has and does everything that makes him a top player playing next to a player such as carrick. Especially when he's being left out for lampard who is a good midfielder but not as good in a deeper role as he is and certainly brings less.
And that's where the balance thing comes in to it. We're too concerned with getting the big names that we sacrifice team shape. Like I said playing carrick in for lampard allows gerrard to stay deep but break when the opportunity is there, ie exactly what he does for Liverpool. It also means we should be better defensively and so wilshere can concentrate on finding the best attacking positions etc.