MICHAEL CARRICK had a ten-day, three-game stint in November 2021 the first time he was caretaker manager of Manchester United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in the morning after a horrendous 4-1 hammering at Watford and filmed a tearful exit interview.
Carrick, on the coaching staff for three-and-a-half years, temporarily moved into the manager’s office.
He had to hit the ground running as United had a game two days after Solskjaer’s dismissal at Villarreal in the Champions League.
United had won two, drawn one and lost one from their first four group stage games, with each performance problematic.
With seven points on the board, a win would secure progression to the knockout stage.
Villarreal 0-2 United
Perhaps we are underestimating Carrick. Anyone who drops Bruno Fernandes, starts Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial and still beats Unai Emery is worth his salt as a manager.
In this rematch of the Europa League final, United secured a first win away at Villarreal at the third time of asking.
Carrick made four changes from the Watford debacle. Luke Shaw was absent through injury but Fernandes, Nemanja Matic and Marcus Rashford were benched as Van de Beek, Martial, Alex Telles and Fred came in.
United lined up in a conventional 4-2-3-1 and pulled off a classic European away performance. David de Gea made a superb save from Manu Trigueros at 0-0 as United played the percentages.
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Predictably, the ineffectual Van de Beek and Martial did not last much longer past the hour and the cavalry arrived. Fernandes and Rashford were both badly out of form but Villarreal’s squad depth could not match United’s and the pair helped change the direction of travel.
Cristiano Ronaldo put United ahead in the 78th minute with a careful lob from goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli’s misplaced pass that was intercepted by Fred. Ronaldo’s goals – three winners and one equaliser – accounted for United’s ten points in Group F.
Carrick also got a rise out of the feckless Jadon Sancho, which says more about the winger than the manager. Sancho smashed in his first United goal to finish off a counter-attack.
Tactically, United hardly changed shape, with Fernandes and Rashford like-for-like replacements for Van de Beek and Martial.
After Sancho made it 2-0 in the 90th minute, Carrick generously gave Juan Mata a run-out and sent on Nemanja Matic to shore things up in a three-man midfield.
Chelsea 1-1 United
Under Solskjaer, United won three and drew one at Stamford Bridge, having gone more than six years without victory at Chelsea. Two of those triumphs came with a back three.
Champions League holders Chelsea favoured a 3-4-2-1 system and United under Solskjaer had a tendency to match-up teams who played a back three, or teams that were superior to them.
United occasionally played a midfield diamond under Solskjaer and they had the personnel to do so again. Matic and Scott McTominay had also slotted into a back three before.
When the teamsheets were printed, United could have lined up in 3-4-2-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 with a diamond or 4-3-1-2. It was largely the latter.
Bizarrely, Gary Neville suggested on co-commentary United had lined up in a Ralf Rangnick-style shape ahead of his interim appointment.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel, whose first coach was Rangnick, laughed that off.
Carrick boldly benched Ronaldo when Sir Alex Ferguson had been filmed querying his bench role after a 1-1 home draw with Everton the previous month.
Rashford, Fernandes and Matic were recalled, while Eric Bailly replaced the suspended Harry Maguire.
That attempted flexibility was laudable but Chelsea dominated until the 50th minute, when Jorginho miscontrolled Alex Telles’ hoik on the halfway line to leave Sancho and Rashford bearing down on Edouard Mendy’s goal. Sancho scored.
Jorginho equalised from the penalty spot 19 minutes later and both sides had decent opportunities to nab a winner.
“I kind of knew how Chelsea would play and stopping the little passes they thread through to Jorginho and (Ruben) Loftus-Cheek through the middle of the pitch,” Carrick said. “So we were conscious of that.
“The front three, Marcus, Jadon and Bruno did a terrific job, a real disciplined job, of picking the moments to jump and press.
“But picking the moments to block the middle and give a platform for the seven behind to work off and spread the spaces so we weren’t chasing too much.”
United 3-2 Arsenal
Ronaldo was back in the starting XI as one of three changes as Carrick opted for a more attack-minded side on home turf.
Arsenal were still treading water under Mikel Arteta, who had Nuno Tavares, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mohamed Elneny and Aaron Ramsdale in an unremarkable starting XI.
It was also Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penultimate appearance before Arteta exiled the club captain.
This was a watchable ding-dong between two of the Premier League’s also-rans, with hardly any tactical takeaways. Carrick had helped Fred during his trying first six months at United and got an uptick from the Brazilian across the three games, particularly against Arsenal.
With Rangnick in attendance, United fans unfurled a banner with the faces of Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane that read ‘Standards’. Ronaldo raised them.
Almost 17 years on from scoring twice against Arsenal as a teenager, Ronaldo did it again at the age of 37 to put United ahead and also hit the eventual winner.
Arsenal led through a bizarre Emile Smith Rowe strike that was rightly given with David de Gea down hurt. De Gea’s team-mate, Fred, had accidentally trodden on him.
Fred made amends, setting up Fernandes’s equaliser and earning the penalty Ronaldo converted for the winner.
Supporters were still inside the stadium when United released a statement that Carrick was to leave.
