I think LVG will use Carrick as a CB.
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It is indeed eagerly awaited, or at least by me. He's had one poor season since he's been here, and that's when our whole team went to shit. I don't see why he can't have another great year!
Think more likely as an anchor man in a midfield 3, occasionally acting like a 3rd center back, but mostly similar to the Busquets role in Barca. Letting Herrera and Di Maria or Mata have more freedom.
I don't think he is due back until early October despite the fact that his boot came off this week, which is a bit of a shame because then he will need time to build up fitness.
I think we miss him. Last season in the PL he had the second highest passes per game (behind Yaya Toure) and that tells you how involved he is in our play. In the first game against Swansea Blackett, Smalling and Jones made the highest number of passes and today it was Evans, Blackett and Jones was fourth. the defenders are seeing too much of the ball because no-one is showing themselves as an outlet. We need our CM to dictate the play. The CBs aren't going to do it. For all of the criticism people have of him Carrick is good at getting the ball forward. With Di Maria and Herrera flanking him in a midfield three he wont have to get up and down the pitch as much.
He also gives LvG the ability to switch the system without making subs because he can drop back three when we lose possession and he can then comfortably step out and we go back to a back 4 when we are in possession.
Carrick has the ability to play quickly between the lines. I refuse to pretend that 2012/13 never happened - he was our best and most important player imo and he will be a massive asset again if he can regain some confidence and form.
I think we miss him. Last season in the PL he had the second highest passes per game (behind Yaya Toure) and that tells you how involved he is in our play. In the first game against Swansea Blackett, Smalling and Jones made the highest number of passes and today it was Evans, Blackett and Jones was fourth. the defenders are seeing too much of the ball because no-one is showing themselves as an outlet. We need our CM to dictate the play. The CBs aren't going to do it. For all of the criticism people have of him Carrick is good at getting the ball forward. With Di Maria and Herrera flanking him in a midfield three he wont have to get up and down the pitch as much.
He also gives LvG the ability to switch the system without making subs because he can drop back three when we lose possession and he can then comfortably step out and we go back to a back 4 when we are in possession.
Carrick has the ability to play quickly between the lines. I refuse to pretend that 2012/13 never happened - he was our best and most important player imo and he will be a massive asset again if he can regain some confidence and form.
Back in training. Excellent news.
Good to see.
I love how he was called every name under the sun last season but now those same people are looking forward to having him back. I agree he was below par last season but he is a great footballer and regardless of the new arrivals, will play a big role this season. I still think it will be 4 or 5 games before we see him feature though.
No I still don't think he's good enough
He's had some really good seasons and then some really bad ones. He's been our best midfielder for all these years after Scholes but that's not saying much at all.
The really bad ones (last season aside) I think were more under appreciated. It was only Fergie's last season that he was getting the recognition, he wasn't really doing anything different though.
Don't care what anyone says he's a quality player although I'm hopeful Blind puts him out the team the only reason that would mean he's better than Carrick and I doubt that. So under rated its frightening.
He finally has some serious competition for his place with Blind. Can't expect to be walking into the team the next match, after putting in a few sub par performances.
Was virtually undroppable along with Rooney, RVP and Mata. Not anymore this season. He is still a quality player and I think he has a good 2-3 years left in him in a midfield trio barring serious injury. The increased competition will do him some good and give him time to rest as well.
Was virtually undroppable along with Rooney, RVP and Mata. Not anymore this season. He is still a quality player and I think he has a good 2-3 years left in him in a midfield trio barring serious injury. The increased competition will do him some good and give him time to rest as well.
From what I recall, the season where he started getting recognised was different. I remember reading an article on the BBC which compared his statistics to his time before, and there were distinct improvements in categories such as success rate, touches, forward passes vs sideways and backwards, pass completion, etc.
Whilst I agree that he was always slightly underrated, I disagree that it was purely such. He made big improvements in that season, he was a lot better than before.
I still worry that he isn't good enough to be a starting CM for us. Good to see that he is fit again though, no one likes players to be injured.
Going to play a massive part this season, Carrick and Herrera (on paper) compliment each other. The latter's high energy approach should allow Carrick a bit more space to play his game. Throw in Di Maria and we have an excellent midfield 3. Might seem a bit lightweight but the quality there cannot be doubted
Or was it last season he was being over appreciated?
I think its just that the people were pissed off at his performances because they knew he was capable of putting in better. I doubt a lot of people would have wanted him sold. He really has been an unsung hero for us over the past few years. But unlike the past few seasons, he has cover this season in Blind, so hopefully like others have said he will get more rest, thus keeping his performances level high.
I don't know. You might be right but my feeling has been that we was quite poor for some time, then picked up his game and people just started saying he's under-rated (which he was for some time). After that, he's been largely over-rated. He's been called the best midfielder in the PL plenty of times on here - comical really.
And like I said, we really haven't had a proper midfield for 3-4 years now so it's no surprise he's been our best but that's nothing to be happy about.
But he was different. I think it was RVP's indirect influence on the team - Fergie said that they (he and Phelan) understood at some point of the season that you can just hoof the ball from the back (Rooney vs Aston Villa, for example) and RVP would be ready to control it up top. I think that Carrick really missed that kind of partner for years, actually and thrived when he found one. Chicha also was capable of scoring the occasional one (there was a brilliant one against Chelsea), but not on a regular basis.
Prior to Fergie's swansong season, I agree that Carrick was underrated by many. I always thought he did a good job for us though. However, in Fergie's last season he really took it to a different level. He really started to control matches the way he hadn't done so before. Last season was poor from him (and it stood out more because of his performances the previous year - it was a bigger drop), but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt seeing as we were so poor overall. I really hope (and believe) that he can be as influential as two years ago this season. I think LvG will get him in the right frame of mind, and he will benefit from having Blind, Di Maria and Herrera around him rather than Anderson, Cleverley, Fletcher and a 40-year-old Giggs.
I agree that he did lift during that season but and did improve but in regards to his play, not much was different but the team was functioning around him which made him more influential and standout far more. I don't think much actually changed with his game.
Look at that pass for Hernandez against Chelsea, what a ball and what a header, there is a great assist. That happens this year, Hernandez isn't doing anything with that ball and it would be looked as the wrong option from Carrick by some. It just clicked that year. Obvious competition this year from Blind and varying systems but I think when fit, he will be a regular and in my opinion, rightly so.
Look at that pass for Hernandez against Chelsea, what a ball and what a header, there is a great assist. That happens this year, Hernandez isn't doing anything with that ball and it would be looked as the wrong option from Carrick by some. It just clicked that year. Obvious competition this year from Blind and varying systems but I think when fit, he will be a regular and in my opinion, rightly so.
This. He can be our non-slipping Gerrard type player, feck all running but controlling the game.
Never been a big Carrick fan to be honest. Great range of passing, great positionally, good technique, but so many other parts of his game, especially under pressure let him down. To be fair his last season under Fergie this seemed to improve. I do think he is well suited to being the anchor man in the current set up though if we have three central midfielders. Sit there position himself well against the break and just do the simple things with the occasional surprise direct ball. I agree he needs a high energy midfielder with him which Herrera may be ideal for. i havent seen Blind play as a central midfielder, so for that reason I would start Carrick ahead of him. Once/if the majority of our squad is fit I expect him to be fighting out with Blind to play there.
Mainly due to the lack of options around him. Cleverley hidden behind his opposite number, Mata crowded out, Rooney godknowswhere, Valencia acting as if he's doing something productive.
Our players have a distinct inability to move into, and create, space.
Yeah, this would've been my answer too. With players like di Maria and Herrera who almost enjoy playing under pressure, Carrick will be okay I think. However it is my main gripe with the man also, he just always went into crab mode against the big teams.
Yep. I'm quite excited to see Carrick in a Pirlo-esque role, to be honest. I think he'd thrive in such a position. Like you say, he's going to have some lovely running next to him now and that'll suit his attributes.
I'm a big fan of his personally. Perhaps I'm slightly blind-sighted to his faults and poor games, as I immensely appreciate the type of player and midfielder he is and what he offers - same with Busquets - but I still think he can play an important role here and near enough recapture the heights he set in 2012/13. When you also consider the midfielders he will be playing alongside this season compared to previous seasons, he should be complimented far better with plenty of energy, movement and mobility around him. He needs options on the ball to provide the perfect platform for di Maria, Falcao, et al, to excel and in a team that should dictate games better he will hopefully perform well.
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Personally when we signed him and Hargreaves I wasnt excited. Thought they both bought great attributes and lacked in others. I think Carrick is one of those English players who would probably have been successful abroad in a slower paced game. The things he does well, he does do very well though and I guess we have been spoilt with the likes of Ince, Keane, Robson, Scholes the last 25 years which was such a high quality for any midfielder to add to.
I think Carrick has had 3 or 4 spells where he has been really good, a lot of average ones and 3 or 4 spells where he has been really bad. I do think if we are playing a back three he can play an important part, especially in the short term protecting the defence, not in terms of tackling but in his positional sense. I have been overly harsh on Carrick over the years, I think a lot of people have overly praised him as well but he has been a good and more importantly successful player for us so he certainyl deserves his place in our history. I also think he always comes across very well and down to earth as a person when interviewed, which lets be honest, in todays age is becoming more and more rare
Am I the only person who doesn't eagerly await Carrick's performances this season? I believe that 2012/13 was his peak as a player which was a wonderful season on his part. I am skeptical that he can reach that level of play again.
I would say so. He is still a top player. Whether he reaches those peaks again isn't the issue, the issue is we need good players in the midfield and he provides that.
I think Carrick can and will go back to his 07/08 self now that he has better players around him.
His game is all about his reading, passing and vision...That does not go away with age.
In fairness to the guy, he's had a lot to carry on his shoulders, in the cesspool that is our midfield.
Now with Herrera, Di Maria and maybe *Captain Scouse, he can concentrate on that role again, as opposed to trying to keep our midfield together.
*Just assuming Rooney will be played in midfield at some point
His game is all about his reading, passing and vision...That does not go away with age.
In fairness to the guy, he's had a lot to carry on his shoulders, in the cesspool that is our midfield.
Now with Herrera, Di Maria and maybe *Captain Scouse, he can concentrate on that role again, as opposed to trying to keep our midfield together.
*Just assuming Rooney will be played in midfield at some point
Nope add me to the list. Said it in the 'unpopular opinions' thread that I don't see him getting back to the heights he reached before and I can see him declining and being phased out of the team, which is why I don't think he should be counted anymore when talking about starting midfield options.
If we continue with today's formation then it's perfect for Carrick to step into Blind's position when needed. He'll suit the base of the diamond far more than in a midfield two. Keeping possession and intercepting passes are his two best attributes.
Agree. Blind was great but if Carrick can get close to his form in fergies last season, which I believe he can, then he's perfect for that position. Blind and Carrick can fight it out or either play together in the tougher games, it's good to finally have some back up though.
He'll be a fine squad player this year but I don't see the need in him anymore. We basically bought a young, not as good as he used to be, version of him in Blind, who'll probably be the squad player next year.
His legs are probably gone and his static play was one of the problems in the last few years (except 12-13, where he was great).
But he'll be great cover this year.
His legs are probably gone and his static play was one of the problems in the last few years (except 12-13, where he was great).
But he'll be great cover this year.
Agree. I can see a midfield of Blind, Carrick and Herrera for the tough games and for the other games Blind and Carrick interchanging. Carrick is not that young so he can be saved for the big games and Blind can play week in week out.
I really can't wait to see Carrick flanked by Herrera and Di Maria.
With Blind in the team as well, I'm really chuffed to see we have midfield options of this quality now.
With Blind in the team as well, I'm really chuffed to see we have midfield options of this quality now.
When do we expect him healthy enough to even be considered for selection?
The bench you mean.
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