With a headline like ‘Why Carrick will cost Man Utd the title’ the writer was clearly attempting to provoke a response. Forget the hyperbole that runs hand-in-hand with the very concept that one player could independently end a club as big as Manchester United’s title chances. Forget the fact that Manchester United are three points above their closest competitors and are continuing to grind out results. Michael Carrick, far from being the reason for United’s downfall has looked like one of the key contributing factors to the club’s success this season
The offending article appeared on Emirates 24/7 soon after Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Fulham and provoked a fair amount of discussion. The essential conclusion of the article is that Carrick is unable of handling the burden of being United’s holding midfielder.
Carrick’s an easy, but I’d argue a misguided target for Manchester United fan’s ire. Yes, he effectively gave away a penalty at Old Trafford after fouling Fulham’s Danny Murphy, but one mistake should not put pay to a whole season’s worth of top work.
The main concern, it seems when it comes to Carrick, is that he’s not providing United with enough creative flair. But those who follow that line of thought don’t seem to understand the role he’s been given within the team. They certainly don’t understand the remarkable amount of discipline and organisation that it takes to be as effective in the holding role as Carrick has been this season.
Just look at his high pass percentage rate and how much more assured United look in possession with him in the team. He’s the kind of player that helps the Red Devils dominate other midfields, is capable of passing to his more technically talented teammate who will then shoulder the creative burden. It’s not the most eye-catching role in world football but it’s extremely important nonetheless.
Those who complain that the majority of Carrick’s passes are either sideways or backwards miss the point. He has been the most consistent player in the team that currently lies top of the table – what’s to complain about? Sir Alex Ferguson complained that United’s problems against Fulham were the result of ‘giving the ball away’, so it’s worth bearing in mind that Carrick had the highest pass completion rate at 92%, completing more passes than anybody else on the pitch.
Quite how this constitutes putting Manchester United’s season under risk is beyond me. If he continues to do his job to the standard he’s managed every game thus far, United have a good chance of picking up their 20th Premier League title.
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Carrick does unfairly get dogs abuse most of the time but then he is also overrated by a lot of others. For me Carrick is a decent Premier League player but he has never been and never will be a great player because of his inconsistencies on the bigger stage, teams know that if you put Carrick under pressure he buckles. Carrick needs time and space to perform to his best but against the best he is rarely afforded that and makes some horrendous mistakes, this is why the majority of United fans haven’t taken to him, not because they don’t understand the role he plays.