Hot-shot Carrick has Gunners in his sights

Stuart Mathieson

January 15, 2007

Michael Carrrick

OLD TRAFFORD's latest goal-scoring ace Michael Carrick thinks United can become the first Premiership team to storm the Gunners' Emirates citadel on Sunday.

The former Spurs midfielder, who notched his first goal for United on Saturday, goes back to north London confident that Arsenal's free-flowing style can be conquered.

"It is a big weekend with Chelsea taking on Liverpool," said United's é18m ace.

"It will be interesting and people will talk it up but it won't decide the title. However, we are going there to win. We expect to win our away games. We are going to Arsenal on Sunday and though it is a tough game and will be huge, we go there expecting to win it and if we don't we will be disappointed.

"There are going to be ups and downs for the rest of the season but as long as we continue to win our home games then we have a chance."

United won their fifth Old Trafford Premiership match on the bounce to keep six points ahead of Chelsea with the 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Carrick's first goal for United since his summer switch from White Hart Lane helped the Reds dominate Martin O'Neill's side and the 25-year-old was delighted to finally break his Reds' duck.

"I kept saying it was coming but I hoped it would come a bit sooner," said Carrick.

"It is nice to score but even nicer to get the points. The goal was a bonus for me. It is always something you want to get out of the way. It wasn't something that was dragging me down.

How do you rate Michael Carrick? Have your say.

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Ethan, Sale (15/01/2007 at 09:44)

The lad's doing well in my book - works hard, puts in some good passes and has a few assists. Is he worth Â£18m - I don't believe so, but Utd always pay inflated prices and British players always seem to cost more. Expect us to pay Â£20m for OH.

Carrick and the returning Scholes seem to be the missing link this year and I hope Carrick learns a bit from Scholes during this season and next, so that when OH joins we've a CM partnership equal to Keane and Scholes.

John A, Middleton (15/01/2007 at 10:00)

He's a terrific player, who'll never get the credit he deserves due to his role in the side, which is an under-valued yet essential one in the team. His range of passing is excellent, he can put a foot in, and can read the game very well. Not to mention the fact that he enables Paul Scholes to have as much freedom in the middle as he does.

Hopefully the clowns who were on here last week calling him a flop wont embarrass themselves further by commenting on him....

manc_abroad, OT (15/01/2007 at 10:08)

Think some of the criticsm he has received on these pages has been harsh. It is not his fault the price tag. He has played well and his performances have been getting better as his partnership with Scholes has developed. In my mind he is a major plus this year as he is keeping O'Shea out of midfield.

Red Rob, West Lower (15/01/2007 at 10:13)

We paid Â£14m for Carrick.

George, RHYL (15/01/2007 at 10:14)

Like most I fear a Chelsea victory over Pool and a UNITED defeat at the Emirates.If we could actually win at Arsenal that would be very useful in denying Chelski any encouragement.We're playing well and almost everyone has scored.Fingers crossed!

Alias Smith, over the moon (15/01/2007 at 10:23)

Hot-shot Carrick? Hehe! We clearly have a more difficult game than Chelsea this weekend and I don't expect us to get 3 points at the Emirates. However, with Terry continuing to be absent, I'm hopeful that they best they can do is draw at Anfield. If we have a 5 or 6 point lead next Monday morning, we will go on to take the title, no question in my mind.

Birdy, Ireland (15/01/2007 at 10:33)

Theres always someone who comes in saying we didnt pay 18m for Carrick, it was only 14. Whenever Rooneys fee is mentioned, its said to be 27m, dispite the fact that that fee is depending on certain conditions. Pretty much every transfer has conditions in it triggering certain payments, but its pedantic to continue to highlight that his 18.6m is subject to conditions. Carrick has been ok so far. He played well the wknd, and i want to see him do so in future, but the fact is he hasn't been playing like that all season, and shouting the odds today after one of his best performances so far doesn't make his many previous average performance better. To put it this way, if he had been playing all season like he did on Saturday nobody would have any reason to be on here saying "but he didnt cost 18m" because his fee would never be an issue. It is an issue because his performances to date have varied fromaverage to good. IMO a fair average mark for him for the season to date would be 6.5. Apart from the Liverpool game, yesterdays for the first for me where he really stood out, andi think central midfielders should stand out. Its ok for Makelele to be relatively unseen as he's got 2 others in the middle with him to do the flash stuff, but in a 4-4-2 you cant afford to have one of your 2 central players not stand up and be counted. Hopefully he takes this performance into the Arsenal game on Saturday

Red Rob, West Lower (15/01/2007 at 10:41)

Agree about the conditions being pedantic. that's why I left it to you to mention.

chris, oxford (15/01/2007 at 10:45)

Toughest game of the season (so far) for us, like most others I don't really expect us to get a win at the Emirates but as long as we don't lose then hopefully we will be OK in the long run. Chelsea will be in for a tough game at the scousers but unfortunately I can see them winning that one because they seem to have the sign over Liverpool in the league. Will take a 1-0 against Arsenal even if it's a Fletcher winner!

bobbydazzler, lowton (15/01/2007 at 10:52)

there is no reason why we cannot beat the arsenal. alex needs to resist changing the setup and under no circumstances play either df or jos have a rea; go at them WE CAN WIN

JoJ, Norway (15/01/2007 at 11:00)

I beg you: Please don't get injured.

Richard, Aston (15/01/2007 at 11:03)

Carrick must continue to play at a high level every week. He has been a good player for us this season, but I feel he has more to offer, and hopefully he will start producing. It always takes players a while to settle into a new team, but he has done better than Ballack or Shevchenko in doing so. I feel now he is beggining to settle, and on Saturday he played like a Manchester United player. He won't always get the praise he deserves, like Rooney and Ronaldo, but Man United fans will hold him in high regards if he plays to his potential. In the game against Chelsea he stood up and showed he deserved to play for a club like Manchester United. He must do that every game, especially the big games like Arsenal.

TMUF, Manchester (15/01/2007 at 11:08)

Birdy, Ireland I disagree. I dont think Carrick has had a bad game all season and is an un-sung hero. I think his performance have been brilliant so far and the preformance on Saturday is nothing more then he has been performing all season. Its seems like if he doesnt score or create a goal, then he has had a bad game but he keeps the game moving helping the team defend and then converting that into attack. I think its no coincidence how well we have been doing this season with Carrick in the team and how tottenham have struggled. The reason the price tag is mentioned so often is because he wasnt worth that much. Just like Rio, Rooney and every other English player we sign. Why people fuss about it I dont know. Its obvious that when an English player is bought, the price is too much. Likewise when United try to sign someone, the price is also overvalued. Put the 2 together and you get 18.6m for Carrick. Oh and if you want to get technical Carrick cost 14m. It could rise to 18.6 but at the same time it might not. Abit like David Cameron could be the next prime minister but Tony Blair is. If it does rise to 18.6m then GREAT! It means he is performing for both club and country and also means United are succesful domestically and in Europe. Saying he is 18m I think is being abit too opitimistic!

RCH, Salford (15/01/2007 at 11:26)

Manc abroad, don't you find your last sentence depressing? If you look at a player like Evra he must be overflowing with confidence, coming in after a shakey start he's now keeping a well established 1st teamer and "crowd favourite" out of the team through great form, while adding to the style of play. While Carrick comes in with that price tag and alot of expectations he's doing fine and the kudos just keeps washing over him, he's keeping John O'Shea out of the Midfield!!! Ha! Ha! Hopefully Carrick will actually pip O'Shea to a starting place against the Gooners this time.

Lee, Heywood (15/01/2007 at 11:30)

Well done for Saturday I hope and expect much more of the same and more than that. I EXPECT commanding performances and the proof of the pudding for me will be not only the next few games but the rest of this season and the couple of seasons after that. Still not sure when Scholes eventually retires how we will cope. Last week with Carrick we struggled against Villa this week with Scholes back we swatted them aside and Scholes was again majestic. Carrick in truth played very well but I am confused and confess that Carrick doesnt conform to either of the two 'Ideals' I have for a CM partnership. This may well be my handicap and not Carricks and maybe he will always struggle in my eyes through no fault of his own because I fail to recognise anything other than a driving force and a creative goalscoring partnership. Whichever way I hope Carrick is a big succes at United and probably eventually forces me to change my mind.

Cyril, N. Ireland (15/01/2007 at 11:31)

Carrick is a good player, but not a great player, (not in the Keane, Robson or Ince bracket) he doesn't influence games the way they could. But in saying that maybe the goal on Saturday will be a kick-start for him to go on to better things and become a great player. Perhaps the ongoing Owen Hargreaves story is in the back of his mind, if Hargreaves signs who does Fergie leave out, Carrick or Scholes, he can't play 4-4-2 and accomodate all three in midfield. Anyway lets hope we don't get too carried away with all the hype of being top of the league and then come a cropper on Sunday at Arsenal. If we can go there and stop them playing their own free flowing game, then we have a chance, but we just can't afford to lose this one and give Chelsea a sniff. We have to keep the pressure on.

de Meester, Amsterdamned (15/01/2007 at 11:35)

So far carruick has done well.
He's not really got the pace but neither did Keano (the only comparison!).
He does his job well, breaks up attacks, get's his interceptions in, get's in the gaps when other team is attacking and get's in the fantastic passes I've not seen since Veron (at best)!
He seems to find space and that important thing - time on the ball.
That is the sign of a good player!
Yes the saying he's not worth the cash we've gave out but let's judge him on the show so far and in a few months tiime when a shiny trophy should be back where it belongs!
Let every man do his job well next week and we can say au revoir Ã¡ la francaise.
Allez les Rouges

Mick, Dublin (15/01/2007 at 11:40)

Whatever your opinion on Carrick (and he certainly divides opinions!) Scholesy and himself, as a midfield pairing, are different class. Gilberto's gonna be a big loss for the gunners next weekend, no doubt about it. For all the London media creaming themselves over Arsenal's result at the weekend, Blackburn carved Arsenal open, time and time again, were incredibly wasteful in front of goal, and conceded two goals they should have done much better with. If we start with Carrick and Scholes up against Fabregas and A.N.Other and Wazza finally hits his stride (we all know he's a big-game player - remember Galatasaray?) I can see us putting the hurt on Arsenal, a draw is the least I expect. Be nice to see Larsson break Gooner hearts again too!

Red Gazza, London (15/01/2007 at 12:01)

Carrick for me is starting to settle in really well. He is showing a lot of good technical ability and making a great contribution to the overall team performance, especially when you take into consideration he plays a lot of matches out of he's preferred position as an attacking midfielder. Is he worth 18 or 14mil? In this hyper inflated market - yes.

Birdy, Ireland (15/01/2007 at 12:03)

TMUF I did say it was 14m rising to 18.6m. I'd have to disagree with you when you say he's been brilliant all season. He quite simply hasn't been brilliant. I can recognise that you dont always have to score or set one up to have a great game, and so taking those out of the equation he's done alright, but not brilliantly. Theres only been 3 or 4 games at most wheres he's stood out. We do look better with him in the side than we did last season, but to be fair we now have Carrick and Scholes instead of O'Shea and Giggs. There was only ever going to be an improvement. I'm not saying he's a bad player or a bad signing, because he's not, and forgetting the price for a moment, he's still not been doing enough in a lot of games. In matches where we've performed poorly he's not been one of the players to stand up and make a difference, and as i said in a 442 you need your 2 central midfielders to be strong characters. For me he's only shown that in glimpses. If on Sunday he bosses the game against Arsenal, following up his good display at the wknd, then great, but to say hes been brillaint to date is very OTT. Hes been tidy, hes been an improvement on what we had but this is Man U not Spurs - he needs to do more than hes been doing

Keane was right Sell Ronny, Birmingham (15/01/2007 at 12:17)

Cyril - youre not wrong Carrick isnt a great player (yet) but he's adding to a strong unit ethos which has been missing form United for some years. Ibeeive the game on sunday will be very close - but even if we lose I'm not going to jump on anyones back. Did any of us really think that Unite would be in this position at this stage of the season back in August??
The big question is whether SAF starts with Saha (dropping Rooney is not his style) instead of Larsson. But whatever, my only gripe is that players start getting quoted in the press about games saying what we 'need to do' (usually the culprit is G Neville). STOP talking about doing the job and JUST DO IT PLEASE!

Mark - Stretford ender, Manchester (15/01/2007 at 12:26)

This is a big weekend in the race for the tittle, i just hpe SAF keeps 4-4-2 and we go and do ourselves justice, if we play like we have been for most games this season, we'll take at least a draw personally i think if we go out all guns blazing we'll beat them well. nothing silly SAF 4-4-2 and lets play the utd way and to on the Attack. That;s the reason why were top of the league in the first place. On the subject of Carrick i think he has done well for us, his vision is superb and rarely gives the ball away. I don't think there would be half the question marks over him if some of the passes he has put people through for would have been converted. Rooney has had one or two, Saha a couple, and more recently henrik. If they go in every one says what a ball by carrick!!! He looks better and more comfortable every week. Our wayne's due a goal and lets hope he gets the run of the green for all the effort he's putting in against the Gunners. The Red Army marches on - ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!!!!

Alias Smith, over the moon (15/01/2007 at 12:27)

Blimey, it's turning into another circular debate on Carrick! Whatever, it's nice that we are debating his merits or otherwise rather than those of the manager who has been the focus of the malcontents over the last couple of seasons.

macca, cornwall (15/01/2007 at 13:00)

Carrick is a good player unfair to compare him with roy keane or bryan robson, he is michael carrick and can do things those 2 couldnt. thats why he is in the team. massive game on sunday, chelsea will win so we must also win. we cannot let arsenal play. i think we should play a very physical game as that always hurts them, and then the class will tell. i think we will play better at emirates than highbury as the athmosphere isnt as good and they now have a pitch big enough for 22 players to play on!

TMUF, Manchester (15/01/2007 at 13:03)

Birdy I think maybe its your expectations. he will never be a Keane or gerrard type player, but more of an Alonso,fabregas type player. I guarantee that in every game he has gifted an easy chance for our strikers and he doesnt get the credit he deserves defensively. His goal typifies this I think. It was him who made the sliding tackle to start off the move. Then receieved the ball, sprayed the ball for the attack and then joined in to finish off. You say as a CM of 2 he has to be spectacular but I believe the proof is the amount of goals we have scored and conceded. he breaks up so many attacks and sets off all the time. If you watched highlights of our season so far, I guarantee Carrick will be at the beginning of most of our moves. that is what he was signed to do and he is doing that brilliantly I believe. I remember last season himdoing it for Tottenham and always wanted to sign him. You say he should be doing more then he did for Tottenham, granted but we bought because of what he did for Tottenham. You cant him to become a different player because that aint what he was signed for.

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