Carrick rolls up his sleeves

Stuart Mathieson

March 12, 2007

Michael Carrick

MICHAEL Carrick is facing his first United-style run-in when matches arrive thick and fast.

The £18m midfielder sees it as a test of endurance he's determined to win.

"I suppose you could do without the added game. The fixture list is a bit cluttered at the moment. But it is part and parcel of it and we have to deal with it," he says.

"You don't want too many games. But if you want to win trophies then at times you have to go through these things and we will come out of it OK.

"What I have learned is that every game is important for United and you need the best rest you can get and recover because in the next game you can't be less than 100 per cent. That is the big challenge for me.

"The team spirit is unbelievable. You don't become a successful team just by playing pretty football every week. You have to grind out results and when things aren't going well you have to show character and we have done that in abundance in the last few weeks and I am sure we will show that in the coming weeks.

"At this stage it is all about winning. You want to be playing good football and winning well because it makes it a bit easier. But you have to dig in on occasions like we have done. Sometimes when you win that way you get more of a buzz than winning 4-0. It gives everyone a big lift like at Anfield.

"You have spells in seasons when you don't play your best football. We have played some great stuff this season and the last couple of weeks is the first time we have showed a different side of our game."

How has Michael Carrick developed in his time at United? Have your say.

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Steve, Glossop (12/03/2007 at 10:27)

I think he had a slow start with the injury & settling in. Then playing alongside the superb Scholes he produced some good performances against the more average sides & got the ball forward well. Now he's struggling & I repeat again he runs out of steam in games so it's ironic him talking about endurance. It could be said his excellence will appear in his 2nd season but I just dont see it due to the obvious weaknesses in his game. If Hargreaves comes Carrick wouldn't be in our best 11 IMO as OH is a much superior all round player with speed tackling versitility shooting stamina etc. If OH doesn't arrive there are still better players than Carrick to go for.

Birdy, Ireland (12/03/2007 at 10:34)

This is like a dose of the John O'Shea rent a quote. Again Carrick was nothing better than average at the wknd against the might of Lee Cattermole and George Boateng. One very very simple thing summed up his time so far at Utd for me. Rio played the ball out from centre half to Carrick who was coming towards him. There wasn't a Boro player within 10 yards of him, yet Carrick played the ball first time straight back to Rio without even trying to get something going himself and it then got knocked long. This has been typical of him so far. He doesnt lose the ball too much because he does very little with it. He shows very little inclination to take responsibility. Our positon in the league and progression in Europe is owed to Carrick only in so much as he's better than DF and JOS in the middle, although on Saturday JOS would have had a case to say he was the better performer. You dont get much for your money these days it seems. He's basically not a bad player but we've seen when he's up against good oppostion he cant up his game and often goes awol altogether. He's a player who doesnt score, has no pace, doesnt tackle, cant get a grip of a game, his first touch when being closed down usually goes 10ft up in the air and who's first instinct is play the ball back to the defenders. His postives are he's not DF and his 10 yard back passes usually reach the intended player intended. Hopefully we'll get a proper player in the summer and Carrick will be good cover

Lee , Heywood, Heywood (12/03/2007 at 10:49)

Agree with Steve Carrick has done ok. Nothing more than that there are many many better and more suited players out there.

edinburgh red, edinburgh (12/03/2007 at 10:51)

Carrick has been a major disappointment he really doesn't bring anything to his game that makes him stand out, he's slow, stands off players,doesn't score goals and for some reason his midfield partner always seems to be more of an influence in attack/defence than him, the annoying factor is that we will have to pay more money for him if we win any trophies which he has slightly helped in , but let's face it due to our weakness in midfield the previous season he was guaranteed a starring role which he hasn't exactly grasped, and it'd not as if he is new to the league, very annoyed with his contribution so far.

chris, oxford (12/03/2007 at 11:42)

In fairness I don't think you ever see the best of a player in their first season and while I do think Carrick has had a positive influence on our midfield I will be looking for him to step up next season - if he gets a game after we have bought our "world class" midfielder that is.

meathman007, meath (12/03/2007 at 12:39)

finally some sensible comments on this forum about carrick from steve, birdy and edinbrough red.As i said at length in the boro player ratings forum, carrick offers nothing productive to utd, he is an incredible disappointment. There is 2 scenarios to come

1. Fergie remains stubborn and we are stuck with the inept carrick performances for a number of years

2. Like he did with Veron, cuts his loses and sells him at a big loss in the next year or two

Unfortunately i dont see him going anywhere

On a seperate note, am i the only one who is annoyed by fergusons 'ambition' for quiroz to be the new utd manager when he goes....what a disaster that would be - after all he did such a great job when he was manager at madrid!... id take hughes or keane

keen bgood (12/03/2007 at 12:39)

When compared to last years midfield, Carrick is a "giant"....when looking to fill a need to command the midfield, he's a midget!!! Better than what we had last year but not in any way shape or form a midfield leader, game changer or workhorse!!!
Yet still, the team is winning games.....so he has improved our team but for me the major improvement was caused by RVN being shipped out.....it brought out the blossoming skill and reinjuvination of our attacking style.....rather than trying to funnel the offense through one source. Oh and of course the return of the "gingerman"!
We will see over the next few weeks whether Carrick has the fortitude and drive to keep our midfield "average" relative to the best. If he does we will do well and have a great chance to win things and SAF will look like a genius, if he doesn't step up we will likely come up short and SAF will be "decrying" the loss of DF , when we all know he chose to "roll the dice" this year and ignore/put off acting on our needs to get over the hurdle!!!

Liam, Manchester (12/03/2007 at 12:40)

At the start of the season I was looking forward to Carrick joining as I had been a fan of his at Spurs. I don't think he has really done enough to reflect the investment in him but likewise I think some of the people such as Birdy just see what they want to see without really giving a fair analysis. I saw that back pass to Rio and shared Birdy's concern but saw plenty of other positives - agree with others though that he might not be first choice if we do sign someone "world class" but not sure Hargreaves is that man.

Loyal to the End (31 years, City Fans, 31 years), Nottingham, ex-Malaysia (12/03/2007 at 12:58)

I saw Hargreaves against Real Madrid and if I have to be honest, he's definitely not a 20mil player.. We're left thinking over what might have been if Chelsea hadn't been hijacking our buys.. Essien in our midfield, wow..

Kevin, Tralee, Eire (12/03/2007 at 13:24)

I think the jury is still out to a degree on Carrick. He's a neat passer of the ball & does the simple things better than most. The next 2 months will tell a lot about Carricks ambition & character. If things go well for us & we win the EPL the lad has a chance of being the mainstay in our midfield for many seasons to come. Now thats the difficult bit, i believe 70% of contributors here fear he isn't good enough & i do fall into that category but i will back him wholeheartedly & hope he can prove myself & other doubters wrong. If we get Hargreaves next season i cant see both he & Carrick having the ingenuity to break down top class European defences & my fear is the team will stagnate without the influence of a creative genius ( Oh for a 25 year old Scholesy )

TMUF, Manchester (12/03/2007 at 13:30)

I think Carrick has done well thi season and maybe people are forgetting how well he was playing because lately his form has dropped a little. Birdy I would say Carrick always passes to the man in space as soon as he sees it. The reason for this is to keep play moving and with the pace of the premiership, it is vital to keep possession. Back to goal, it always best to pass back to a defender. He will always pass and move being available for the return pass. People alwyas love the myth of cant play in big games. Its a cliche fans love to spout out, yet he was our MOM against both Arsenal and Chelsea. Based on this seasons performance, I would say he hs been very instrumental in our success. Based on the last few weeks, when the whole team hasnt been on form, then I would say he has been poor, but no worse then rooney. Its easy to criticise Carrick as he wasn't first choice for most fans and he's the new guy. I say form is temporary, class is permanent. I bet most of you will be eating your words by the end of the season as, like I said, people are only concentrating on recent performances.

de Meester, netherlands (12/03/2007 at 13:32)

It seems to me that carrick can play one game, an instigator or deep-lying role.
He has been struggling with the pace the past few games and a good pair iof young legs is neede.
We should have a look at Jonathon de Guzman at Feijenoord (resembles Scholes in his play) gets about field and is all but holding a terrble Feijennord side together. At 20 an excellent prospect!
Hope tomorrow is a VERY friendly kick-about!
Time for the draw!

COLIN, CANADA, Canada (12/03/2007 at 13:33)

For hios first year I'd say he's done ok. With Scholes someone has to sit back and let Scholes do what he does best. Passes well and rarely gets caught on the ball. Will get better as he settles in to our brand of football. It's almost a given that OH will be here next year and SCHOLES HAS AT LEAST ONE GOOD YEAR LEFT IN HIM so our midfield will be stronger. I'd sign Richards from City as our future right back giving us an awesome back four. Bale will probably come in and Gabby go so who will the new striker be?

Steve Chew, usa (12/03/2007 at 14:11)

You don't find a midfielder like Scholes everyday. Remember Scholes didn't get to where he is from day-1. Also Carrick doesn't commit fouls through late challenges either like Scholes' sometimes ill-timed challenges. They have at times put the defense under extreme pressure. It's understandable when this happens for the back 4 but as for a midfielder, should be rare and far & few in between. Fans mean well but put players under extra pressure when they read day in and day out that they are being called useless. Support them with constructive criticism but name calling isn't the way to go. This goes for Carrick as well as all those who for practically all of this season have taken the abuse and insults by fans - JOS, DF, KR, MS, etc. The press already has a field day skewing them without the fans adding fuel to the fire. Leave the 'chewing out' and name calling to SAF and his coaching staff.

TMUF, Manchester (12/03/2007 at 14:47)

Well said Steve Chew

bobbydazzler (12/03/2007 at 15:03)

i am in the camp were i think he has improved us,not difficult when you think who we had in midfield last year. saw an aspect to his play on saturday we have seldom seen from him. he won ball wide on the right deep in our half brushed aside the tackler and burst forward with the ball starting a fast counter attack. he needs to do this more often far to frequently in recent weeks he has played to safety first.

Birdy, Ireland (12/03/2007 at 16:00)

TMUF i dont think its always best to pass it back to your defence just because your facing that way. Rio and Vidic give it to Carrick because he's the one who's meant to get things moving. They're not giving it to him so he can knock it straight back to them. And he doesnt always look for the return, agaisnt lille on one occassion he made sure he took up a position where he wouldnt get it back. I dont thinkhe's been instrumental in our success. well i suppose it depends on what you mean by instrumental. I would say things like the return of an in form Scholes or the great strides in performance and goals of Ronaldo, the return to 442 and an attacking approach not just built around RVN have been instrumental. Other factors like Evra and Vidic settling in to English football have also contributed. I would then put Carricks arrival after those factors. For me he's not done enough in terms of goals, assists, or influece to be termed influential, and i would rate such luminaries as the likes of Cahil and Arteta at Everton as better players than him, however theyre not English and as such weren't hyped out of proportion to thier talents. He is what he is, a decent player who's fairly good on the ball. He's tidy and doesnt run around liek a headless chicken like the likes of Robbie Savage. He was over priced and has been very underwhelming so far. Perhaps it will take him a season to settle, but as i said before its not like hes a young wet behind the ears lad, he's 25, maybe 26, has played in a world cup and the premiership. Hes not being asked to come in do something alien to him. I just think he's not quite up to playing central midfield, arguably the most influential position in the side, for a team like MAn U who are expected to challenge for the biggest trophies every season.

Demo, Glossop (12/03/2007 at 16:04)

He has had a deep in form with the rest of the team. He has done some good things this season although i think he has a long way to go to prove himself and to get near world class! He isnt one to be diving into tackles but rather reads the play and intercepts the ball and has played some good passes and long balls. I have been amongst the crowd tho who have groaned at the back passing to our defense but he again is not alone in this. Vidic often plays back to the keeper when he has it near half way line. Im willing to give him more time and believe he will improve a lot next season! Im all up for slating Richardson tho - not fit to clean boots at united let alone play

karma2007, rochdale,greater manchester (12/03/2007 at 17:21)

ermm again can i plead with alex to put a summer bid in for gamst pedersen please,oh while on the subject why not david bently as well and oh what the heck sidwell from reading.
Ave a dabble.

Redtothebones, Mauritius (12/03/2007 at 18:44)

Carrick's contribution so far has only been positive because United's midfield was so poor last season but for my money he is far from an 18M man. He is a poor tackler, poor short passer under pressure and even miss his long passes sometimes where he is supposed to excel! At Spurs he thrived on the defensive contribution of Edgar Davids whereas at United he is supposed to do the defensive work and liberate Scholes. Maybe this explains why he has struggled so far. Maybe Hargreaves will provide him more time and space but I remain to be convinced. Talking about Hargreaves I agree with those who believe he is overrated and if SAF really believes carrick will eventually replace Scholes then we are in for some very hard times ahead. Thankfully SAF will be going as well by then.

Pat (12/03/2007 at 19:48)

Come on United! that means come on Michael Carrick as well, we're winning the league and into the quater finals of the champions league and still going to the last in the FA cup. No need to start critisising the players who have got us there, let's just back them to carry on.

Alias Smith, over the moon (12/03/2007 at 22:43)

Birdy, that is about the most damning thing you could ever say about a United player -"against Lille on one occassion he made sure he took up a position where he wouldnt get the ball back". That has got to be a mistake on your part because there is absolutely no way Fergie would tolerate that sort of hiding, that sort of cowardice. I think you are seeing things, ways to criticise Carrick, that are not really there. It seems to me that he has been given clear instructions by Fergie and Carlos - keep possession, pass, pass, pass. It doesn't matter if it's a short pass sideways or even backwards, keep passing the ball, drag the opposition out of shape, make the (hopefully killer) forward pass when it's on. There is no doubt he has been less effective in recent games but then we have been as a team. It seems to me that up until the Boro game, our movement off the ball as a team had not been of the standard we had seen for most of the season up to February. Difficult for a midfield player, no matter how good, to play a forward pass if the players in front of him are not making themselves available, not making runs for him to pass into.

But whether you agree with me or not (and I know you don't), what I really can't fathom is why some contributors post so many words of criticism, not just of Carrick, but of Kitkat (expected to make infrequent appearances but be just as good as VdS when he does), Rooney's form, the manager and his tactics etc etc. It reads like I imagine the City pages must do over here at times, like we are in the serious poo! Come on guys, do I need to remind you: 6 points clear in the PL (City will capitulate easily to Chelsea), 2 very winnable games from an FA Cup final, 2 perfectly winnable ties from a CL final?? All this with Rooney playing like a donkey and while carrying an 18 million passenger apparently. As someone else has said, if you can't enjoy being a United fan now, WHEN CAN YOU???

TMUF, Manchester (12/03/2007 at 22:51)

OK Birdy looks like we are going to have to agree to disagree. You mention 30 seconds in one game, but I gurantee you 98% of the time, he will be available for the pass. He is obviously a great passer of the ball with both feet also and I have such faith in him I believe he will take over when Scholes' careers over. People over emphasize the pass side/back ways/wards! He passes to the man in space which is essential in keeping posession. Birdy you say you haven't been impressed with his scoring and assists. We all know he wasn't a goal scorer(a bit like Keane)but has a decent shot on him so will get his fair share over a season. In terms of assists, I dont think Scholes has more and the amount of times Carrick has broken down the play and started off the beginning of the goal, probably amounts to about 50% of our goals. Carrick is and probably always will be underrated because he plays in a position which is underated. I remeber watching him at Spurs last season and thinking what a great player he would be for us. It is rare to find such a player thats English as he has tremendous technique and the ability to create time and space. I am more then confident that as United fans you wont be stubborn to realise it when you see what contribution he brings to the team. All in his first season, I think he has a great future ahead of him with United.

Steve, Glossop (12/03/2007 at 23:04)

Wait a minute guys the Q was put out so some of us made honest opinions dont be so protective or dillusionary that the players read our comments! It's a forum & MUFC is top of the tree so we demand the best & the players are rewarded hugely. Carrick knows the score he wanted the contract so he has to produce the goods at the highest standard the same as everyone else at the club.

stu, london (13/03/2007 at 09:58)

Bored of this debate, because - as with the RIG/FOB nonsense - people are clearly assuming positions from which they can't be reasoned with, but, Birdy, a couple of points: firstly, your issue with Carrick's positioning in the Lille game, and his availability or otherwise for a return pass, is disingenuous. Being a central midfield player is not just about being available for a pass - if others are available (as they were in the case you mention) then your job is to ensure the gaps they are leaving are covered, which is what Carrick does best. He sits back in space, waiting to move in on the opposition should his teammates lose possession. That is how he plays. That is why we bought him. He is not a box-to-box player. You are criticising him without consideration for the type of player he is and the instructions he has been given. Secondly, if you don't think he's "quite up to playing central midfield...for a team like MAn U who are expected to challenge for the biggest trophies every season", how do you explain the fact that, with him "playing central midfield", a team "like Man U" are ACTUALLY "challenging for the biggest trophies" this season?! 6 points clear in the Prem, and two QFs at the moment? Your argument makes a noose for its own neck.

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