Posted on Friday, 4th January 2013 by Andy Field
Will this man finally get the recognition he deserves?
I have noticed recently that there seems to be a distinct difference of opinion, amongst both United fans and those of other teams, with regards to Michael Carrick’s attributes and contributions to Manchester United Football Club. I have had numerous “discussions” with both my mates and with acquaintances on Twitter regarding this subject. Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on in reference to this subject I’m sure most Reds will have had the same discussions!
Now, this article is not intended as a way to make you all of a sudden change your opinion on him. I believe every fan is more than entitled to their opinions on anything football related. After all, the reason that we all love this game so much is because we are all so emotional and opinionated about it. If you have an opinion on a player/manager/team for valid reasons then that is good and to be applauded. However, what I don’t have too much time for is when somebody has an opinion purely because they are a “sheep following the flock”. They hear other people moaning and complaining about a player and they just go along with it. I can only put this down to one of two reasons. Firstly, they don’t particularly know much about football so they just assume these people are correct. Secondly, they disagree in principal but cannot really be bothered trying to explain their difference of opinion to anybody so they just “conform”.
SCAPEGOATS – I’m sure this happens at every club in the world of football, where a team’s supporters have one particular scapegoat who is all of a sudden the sole reason why that particular team is underperforming. Over the years United have had many scapegoats, to name a few I will mention Neil Webb, Brian McClair & Fabian Barthez who have all fallen into that category. There have been MANY MANY others. More recently Berbatov (to a lesser extent) and also Nani have come under the scapegoat heading.
Carrick however, seems to fall almost perfectly in the middle. Half the fans love him & half think he is useless. Now, let me try to explain where I sit on this subject. Up until about 2 seasons ago I didn’t particularly rate him. I don’t know why, so perhaps I was just following the flock at the time. However then I had a “lightbulb moment”. Why on earth was the greatest football manager that ever lived, SAF (of course in case you weren’t sure), continually playing this guy in our central midfield when he wasn’t up to it (in my eyes)? Had Fergie lost the plot, how was he not seeing that we needed a world class central midfielder to replace him? So, at this point my mind started ticking over. It was time to take a closer look at Carrick and his displays. What does he bring to our team that others don’t?
1, Is he a better passer than Scholesy? Absolutely not. But is there any shame in that? If you can find more than 5 players in world football in the last 10 years who are as good as, or better, passers than Scholes then you will be doing extremely well. Probably players like Zidane, Alonso, Iniesta.
2, Is he a better tackler and/or harder worker than Fletcher/Hargreaves etc? Probably not.
3, Is he better at running with the ball & taking players on than Anderson/Clevs etc? A more debatable question than the previous two points, but still the answer is probably not.
You might be wondering what my point here is, well I am getting there, just a bit more slowly than expected! So he isn’t as good at these things than the players above, but collectively he can do them ALL better than the rest of our central midfield contingent. He also brings other qualities to our team, he has a calming influence in the middle of the park, where it is most needed. He so rarely gives the ball away – I’m sure I saw a stat the other week where his percentage of passes completed away at Swansea was 96%. If this was to drop to maybe 80% then our defence would have been under a significantly higher amount of pressure and, considering our fragile defending this season, then we may well have gone on to lose that match. Furthermore, his discipline at being happy to play the deep sitting role certainly gives our other midfielders the freedom to go and express themselves in more advanced areas. Also, be under absolutely NO illusions that this lad can play a killer pass at any given time, there have been so many examples of that over the years that to name any of them would be pointless.
If you are yet to be convinced, just think about this….. Why does Fergie continue to play him in virtually every game? And ALWAYS in the big games? I think he’s started 41 out of the last 42 Premier League games (or some similar stat). He is, in essence, the first name on Fergie’s team sheet. So, if you still disagree with me then you also disagree with the greatest Football Manager of all time!! I have also seen/read many interviews with United players who rate Carrick very highly, mainly one with Rio saying that he couldn’t believe Carrick didn’t get taken to Euro 2012 as he is England’s version of Andrea Pirlo – High praise I’m sure you will agree.
Now, let me finish by saying this. If United had their choice of any players in world football to choose from then Michael Carrick would not make my first choice 11. Also, if I had to pick my all time best United team (from the 26 years I have had a season ticket) then Michael Carrick would not even make my squad. However, based on what we have available to us & his performances in the last 18 months to two years then he should continue to be the first name on our team sheet. Those who still disagree, please sit and watch him (properly) next time you find yourself at a United match and maybe, just maybe you will change your mind.
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January 4th, 2013 at 2:16 am
He started his Manchester United carrier with 3 PL wins in a row and CL win. He is one of the best midfielders we have ever had. Scholes passing is much slower than Carricks – who also use both feet.
I dont understand some people. You hail Hernandez who more or less never do anything useful outside the box and you skin people who can actually play.
This is the worst generation of United-supporters ever!
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January 4th, 2013 at 2:31 am
You missed one of if not the most infuential part of his game. His posistioning is second to non! He is possably the best possitonal midfielderin the world at the moment. Thats a huge part of how he intetcepts passes and completes so many passes, this is also how he keeps the ball so well, by starting off in the right possition in the first place. Not to mention his vission is negligable, if you ever see him recieve the ball without looking round him then you missed it lol, he is always and i mean always looking around himself, simple i know but what a huge difference this makes is completely underated and above all a more rare attribute to find in the growing word of every footballer should be a creativly technique driven player.
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January 4th, 2013 at 2:56 am
I’ll make a public apology as two years ago I was absolutely fed up of Carrick and nearly cried into my coffee when his contract was extended as I thought he was p*** poor. Fast forward two years. For me he’s been our most consistent player over the last 2 years and due to this consistency arguably our best. Carrick I apologise.
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January 4th, 2013 at 4:10 am
I agree with what you have said but i would also like to give my opinion about it… I agree Carrick is a wonderfull players no doubt about that but i think to be a deeper midfield role the most essential criteria to have is tackling and upper body strength… Because he is the last line of defence in the midfield… And that is what Michael Carrick lacks… It is almost the same argument as when we critisize Rooney… He is a wonderfull player but he just doesn’t score enough… As a forward you just have to score… Why he didn’t score enough was because he didn’t have the service he wanted and thus he dropped deeper but then he didn’t have someone to feed to… So when Van Persie was signed we can see Rooney played at his best… Going back to Carrick case, i think he needs a dynamic and robust partner who just sit behind Carrick to protect him if he was being overrun, a Sergio Busquets type player… Or two dynamic and defensively disciplined players playing above him such as Cleverly with more upper body strengh and a more consistent and defensively disciplined Anderson… So in conclusion if we want to see the best out of Carrick in attacking sense with his long range passing we need a Busquets type player but if we want to see the best out of Carrick in defensive sense with his interceptions and reading of the game we need a more powerfull Cleverly and a fit and a more consistent Anderson… Just like the beginning of 2012 season before Cleverly was injured…
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January 4th, 2013 at 4:14 am
I agree with what you have said but i would also like to give my opinion about it… I agree Carrick is a wonderfull players no doubt about that but i think to be a deeper midfield role the most essential criteria to have is tackling and upper body strength… Because he is the last line of defence in the midfield… And that is what Michael Carrick lacks… It is almost the same argument as when we critisize Rooney… He is a wonderfull player but he just doesn’t score enough… As a forward you just have to score… Why he didn’t score enough was because he didn’t have the service he wanted and thus he dropped deeper but then he didn’t have someone to feed to… So when Van Persie was signed we can see Rooney played at his best… Going back to Carrick case, i think he needs a dynamic and robust partner who just sit behind Carrick to protect him if he was being overrun, a Sergio Busquets type player… Or two dynamic and defensively disciplined players playing above him such as Cleverly with more upper body strengh and a more consistent and defensively disciplined Anderson… So in conclusion if we want to see the best out of Carrick in attacking sense with his long range passing we need a Busquets type player but if we want to see the best out of Carrick in defensive sense with his interceptions and reading of the game we need a more powerfull Cleverly and a fit and a more consistent Anderson… Just like the beginning of 2012 season before Cleverly was injured..
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January 4th, 2013 at 7:08 am
Honest analysis but nothing new in terms of arguments really.I think the one sentence before last sums it all. He deserves to play because United do not have any better. One of the reasons United have leaked so many goals is the absence of a truly defensive midfielder who can put the spanner in the opposing attacking moves, regain possession and relaunch United’s play.Carrick could then play slightly upfield where his calming influence and passing could be better exploited. Carrick always performs better when he has somebody by his side to do all the dirty work. Finally, I think we shall have a true picture of Carrick’s ability and capacity in the coming two encounters against Real.
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January 4th, 2013 at 9:02 am
Carrick shows occasional glimpses of excellence, but still far too many instances of mediocrity. Yes Ferguson does seem to rate him despite the fact that, as you allude, he is a Jack of all Trades without excelling in one particular area. I would say that Carrick’s best quality is the final killer ball but this happens far too infrequently for me, and he still has a habit of panicking under pressure and losing possession if he lets someone get close enough, as displayed recently with the first goal for Newcastle. Yes he did play better after that but I’d prefer not to have to weigh up whether our central midfielder’s positive contribution was more important than their mistakes over 90 minutes. Your “calming influence” certainly isn’t the case when under pressure, and for me relates more to the sideways passes which make us often look slower on the counter attack. Possession over penetration.
So you and other fans can rate him as much as you like, and you can consider people who disagree with you as “sheep”, but it’s no coincidence that our central midfield is without doubt the weakest area of the team, and we have looked far more dynamic and dangerous this season when Anderson and Cleverley have been in the centre. For me the negatives about Carrick being a regular in the first 11 outweigh the positives, and if the only argument to counter that is that I mustn’t understand football, then it isn’t the most compelling evidence against someone who has been watching football, and been a season ticket holder at United, since the late 70s. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and for the last 2 or 3 seasons in particular we have looked a shadow of our former selves in the centre of the park.
Despite that, I don’t dislike him and am actually glad he is in the squad despite not being outstanding in any particular area, but that’s because I see him as a decent squad player. Still if there was one area I’d like to see us spend the bulk (or even all) of the budget in the next transfer window (probably summer rather than the current window), I and many other United supporters would like it to be in central midfield.
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lamar Reply:
January 5th, 2013 at 8:24 am
Thank you. You are spot on. I am a “sheep” or “carrick hater” if you will but when push comes to shove he just dissapears.
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January 4th, 2013 at 10:29 am
Michael Carrick has nothing to offer. Can you compare him with his likes in Barca, Real. City, Chelsea or any top team in Europe? What level of cover does he provide for the defense? How many goals and assists has he added to the team? Why has United conceded more goals than any top flight team in Europe this season if he is so good? The earlier United recognizes his limitations and look for an alternative the better for the team. I don’t want to be taunted by fans of other clubs at the end of the season.
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January 4th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Carrick is dump
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January 4th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
I agree, Carrick don’t get the credit he deserves.
I saw a report from Spain a few months back about Carrick and they rate him highly, The report said that If Carrick was as important for England as he is for utd then England would achieve more, and he is one of the top passers in England etc…
i think if Sir Alex and professionals worldwide rate him then maybe the fans should too!
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January 4th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Have to disagree. Carrick has been good in three matches on the trot but he is a very average premiership midfielder. He’s lightweight in the tackle and needs an eternity to compose himself on the ball. We lack energy and drive in mid field when he plays. Sure he can play a couple of nicely weighted nine iron over the top balls on a good day but by the time he does the opposition are usually already on the back foot. We’ve seen in the past in Europe – bayern munch, barcelona, basel – and in the league – everton, city, chelski and even wigan last year – that when he comes up against a half decent midfield, he is simply not up to the job. I for one hope that Shinji and Tom come good because if wwe rely on Carrick to bring us success, it shows how far our expectations have dropped.
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January 4th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
Have to disagree. Carrick has been good in three matches on the trot but he is a very average premiership midfielder. He’s lightweight in the tackle and needs an eternity to compose himself on the ball. We lack energy and drive in mid field when he plays. We’ve seen in the past in Europe – bayern munch, barcelona, basel – and in the league – everton, city, chelski and even wigan last year – that when he comes up against a half decent midfield, he is simply not up to the job. I for one hope that Shinji and Tom come good because if wwe rely on Carrick to bring us success, it shows how far our expectations have dropped.
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January 4th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Pirlo? hahahahahahahahahahahahaha guy you’re a joker!!!! Fergie, is aging with lack of choice. 15 years ago, Fergie couldn’t go for a lazybone like Carrick. Yes, its him we have available………… Ask him what happened when we were versing Barcelona in Rome and Wembley respectivel?!!! A top passer shines on such occasions, period.
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McGrath Reply:
January 7th, 2013 at 10:09 am
Based on the Spain-Italy Euro final you must think Pirlo is useless then? Nonsense!
Carrick and Pirlo are two of the best passers in the world, but Carrick is better defensively and Pirlo is better offensively.
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January 4th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
To me,carrick is a player dat performs well when we have attacking dominance over d opponent…he tends to play well went der is a constant attacking dominance on our opponent..hez got some excellent touches nd passes wit him,no doubt bwt dat,perhaps,u dnt av to be heavily weighted before u can break up opponents attack..d likes of busquet nd alonso are swift light weighted players who can intercept passes at d middle of the park…central defending is not bwt bin strong,reading d opponent play wit intelligent interception,composure to give complete passes,nd linking up d attacking play are just enough…perhaps, every blocking 4 has lapses…letz try nd judge carrick wit wat he has which has bin functioning nd neglect hez errors..hez not an excellent player neither is he a bad player..i stil rate him 70percent!!!!
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January 4th, 2013 at 8:08 pm
Xabi Alonso said the English player who is most under-rated is Carrick and that if he was Spanish he’d be taken seriously.
Also watch the finals against Barca (esp the first) the player they paid most attention to was Carrick not Ronaldo.
Geordie Guardiola everyday for me.
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January 4th, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Guys lets not forget that old is gold and, when it comes to experience and exposure M.carrick is world stay i hv no place to hide him.
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January 4th, 2013 at 8:51 pm
SAF,you can’t deceive us again,Carrick is not good there no doubt of that.taka him to transfer market’no bbig club will price him.look at combination cleverley and Anderson in the beggining of 2012 season.Carrick is poor.
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January 4th, 2013 at 11:40 pm
Were you still drunk from New Years Eve when you wrote this?
You couldn’t have been sober. Surely not?
I’ve been a Man United fan for 25 years and I’ve got to say I have never felt so assured of a United team when I see Carrick in front of the back four. The stats are in his favour. We concede less when he starts vs. when he is on the bench/out of the squad.
People who doubt his ability or call him an average footballer are either blind or in denial.
Undoutably he doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he isn’t like Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard who like to go on 20 yard runs and hit a 30 yard screamer. You cannot compare Anderson and Cleverley to Carrick because they are completely different midfielders, incomparable.
People are missing the point with Carrick, he isn’t supposed to show glimpses of excellence, he isn’t supposed to set the field alight with talent and trickery. He has a job to do given to him by SAF and he does it 99.9% of the time. If people are unhappy with that then I suggest they go learn more about the game and stop wishing every midfielder was like Xavi and Iniesta.
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January 4th, 2013 at 11:41 pm
Real Madrid smiling to play MU AND WILL TARGET cARRICK.
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McGrath Reply:
January 7th, 2013 at 10:01 am
They will try and stop Carrick because if they don’t United will dominate possession. Everything United do starts with Carrick.
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January 4th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
He is often a scapegoat when the team loses. But he is the most consistent midfielder on the squad that routinely covers the most kilometers in a match, he is a fantastic holding midfielder and shields the back four and provides cover for Scholes/Clev/Ando/Kagawa and Rooney.
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January 5th, 2013 at 1:20 am
Carrick couldn’t play for Barca (iniesta xavi) real (alonso kidiera) Milan juve pirlio yes pirlo is better than carrick the crab ect he wouldn’t even get into Chelsea hazard lampard man city (yaya tore ect) man utd ermm (carrick fletcher) ffs city wouldn’t have him so do we put up with mid table mediocre players that would never get to start for other top clubs in europe man it’s have dropped their standardent considerably with these second rate players we need new top level midfield players we need players in the mid who are combative creative and a threat Yea he breaks up play n passes a ball most players do when they have space n time we need players with world class qualities he carrick front even start for Eng who are in terms of world football are shyt carrick Fletcher Evans young nani buttner are not man utd players ask Brian Robson cantona Roy Keane ince Beckham ect I want the best for my team cut frm the same cloth as van persi real world class sublime footballers only please
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January 5th, 2013 at 1:35 am
Didn’t we get overrun in midfield last season by erm everyone n injuerd Snieder is light years ahead of this chump what happens last season city won the league and we were overrun n outplayed repeatedly in midfield dumped out of champs lge group stage and euro uefa convisingly our midfield is shyt
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January 5th, 2013 at 1:56 am
im not a utd fan or a fan of carrick. but i do think he has gotten better in the last 2 seasons (ie: this season 2012/13 and last season). he was pretty terrible before that and never really looked for the ball, he would move away from the center backs and rarely venture far up the pitch, and didnt play many “killer passes” or even forward passes. so with regard to the pass completion stat he was always passing back to defenders so he never lost much possession and of course rio would say he’s great, rio is an overrated twonk!! but if this seems like im bashing him i actually think he’s pretty good now, he wasnt in the 2010/11 season and before. the image in this utd forum is hilarious and describes carrick perfectly (or at least the old one he is a bit better now) http://community.manutd.com/forums/p/206021/1841731.aspx
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January 5th, 2013 at 2:38 pm
Currently, I have nothing to say but carrick is the heart of United, i don’t like to see united with out him.Simply he deserves credit!!!!
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January 7th, 2013 at 9:57 am
Xavi is the best CM in the world by a long stretch, but Carrick is one of the best after him. His best years could be still ahead of him because his game doesn’t rely on pace.
I read that Carrick has made more successful forward passes this season than anyone else, but I would like to see him shoot more and see him take set pieces occasionally, I’m sure he’s got a good free kick in his locker.
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