From Culture to Tactics, Michael Carrick Got Everything Right Today

Manchester United’s monumental 2-0 defeat over Pep Guardiola’s Man City was everything former captain and head coach Michael Carrick would have wanted today, and not only did he get everything right on the pitch, but he displayed everything you need to win a Manchester derby, and why their affair goes much further than just tactics.

Carrick signed as United’s interim manager a matter of days ago, and with an opening game against arch rivals Manchester City as his first challenge, a comfortable 2-0 defeat for the red devils showed why Carrick just gets it with United, and why his prior club experiences from academy, to first team player, to manager meant so much more than what is seen on paper today for Man United.

It was a massive game for himself and the fans, and with the ultimate pressure of a game like this as your first game in charge was huge, and it all started with his team selection, one that embodied not only his faith in the team, but the culture of Manchester United and the derby itself. Former manager Ruben Amorim didn’t often see eye to eye with young talent Kobbie Mainoo, and after a grueling season for the England international, it was finally his time to perform today after being selected by Michael Carrick, and shows exactly why the club needs someone who knows the clubs culture and legacy inside and out.

Back in Sir Alex Fergusons days of coaching, he was one of the managers who thrived on giving his young academy talent a chance. He did it with Wayne Rooney, he did it with Michael Carrick, and he did it with a lot of others, this is exactly what Carrick has embodied in  his second term at the club, and is why he is an ideal candidate for the job. 

Whether it was his tactics or his team's performance as a whole, Carrick made sure they played like it was a derby match. As a player who played in some of the fiercest Manchester derbies, it is assured that he got the message clear that today was no other game, it is a special one. Whatever he said, and whatever was laid out, he got 100% out of his team today, and he made sure they were up to the occasion. Whether or not this leads to something bigger for Carrick in the future, who knows, but as for a guy who knows the club's roots like the back of his hand, today was massive, and outlined everything United have been missing for the last decade.