His Manchester United side are winless in their last eight games, and while the majority of supporters and pundits are calling for his head, he lives to fight another day despite the thrashings he and his men took against Como and Bournemouth last week.
asserted
he → call → Como
As interim and then permanent head coach, Carrick has followed the template set by fellow club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seven years ago after Jose Mourinho’s departure.
asserted
Carrick → follow → departure
He reinstated the 4-2-3-1 shape he and his former team-mate had instilled in their three-year reign as a manager and first-team coach double act, with a heavy reliance on soaking up pressure and hitting sides on the counter-attack.
asserted
he → reinstate → attack
While that may work in the short-term as a caretaker or when managing sides like Cardiff or Middlesbrough, that approach will quickly get found out when trying to implement it at the very highest level.
uncertain
approach → work → level
What he has not shown at all in his tenure is any kind of tactical flexibility.
asserted
shown → show → flexibility
He has rigidly stuck with his trusty 4-2-3-1 shape, no matter the personnel or the injury list, and it has forced players to be crowbarred into unfamiliar roles in order to fit the manager’s desired system.
asserted
it → stick → system
That was a catalyst for Ruben Amorim, Carrick’s predecessor, to be relieved of his duties.
asserted
Amorim → relieve → duties
If United’s under-fire boss wants to keep his dream job - the only managerial position he would take, according to Nicky Butt - then he must show some nerve.
uncertain
he → want → nerve
Xabi Alonso is still getting his feet under the table in west London, looking to bed in his philosophy and big-money signings while attempting to keep a bloated first-team squad contented.
Add in the uncertainty over Joao Pedro, Maxence Lacroix and Emi Martinez’s absences through injury, and suddenly United have a chance to snap their winless run and spark some momentum.
asserted
United → get → momentum
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Joao Pedro not playing forces Alonso’s hand.
asserted
playing → read → hand
Morgan Rogers is likely to be fielded as a makeshift No9 once more, which stifles his real threat in driving inside at pace off the left flank.
asserted
which → field → flank
There are also question marks over the Blues’ midfield, with Jordan Henderson beginning to start games most thought he wouldn’t after his surprise move from Brentford, and the loss of Reece James’ leadership is a huge blow.
asserted
loss → be → leadership
This is where Carrick must show that the midfielders he was provided in the transfer window are indeed his signings.
asserted
he → show → window
That United’s recruitment strategy of prioritising the engine room in the summer was correct; with head coach and board aligned.
asserted
coach → prioritise → summer
The return of Kobbie Mainoo will be pivotal, and if Carrick were to tweak his system to a more aggressive diamond shape and look to swarm the Chelsea midfield, the England international could be handed a No8 role that would see him pick up dangerous pockets of space and break lines with his dribbling and intricate pass-and-move.
uncertain
him → tweak → dribbling
Carlos Baleba can prove his £70million worth as the destroyer behind, snapping at Cole Palmer’s ankles.
asserted
Baleba → prove → ankles
That then allows for Youri Tielemans to demonstrate that he does in fact have the legs to man United’s centre-field, or for Andrey Santos to show his old employers exactly what they are missing.
asserted
they → allow → what
It then frees up Bruno Fernandes - fresh from his ‘clear-the-air’ talks with Carrick - in that marauding No10 position, where he can carve out goalscoring opportunities either for himself or for his team-mates.
asserted
he → free → mates
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha are the go-to options as the strike partnership, with the pair’s willingness to spin in behind while also dropping deep to link play a major advantage for United to use.
asserted
United → go → play
Wesley Fofana will likely be scarred from his penalty miss at Anfield and would be one to target at the heart of the Chelsea defence, while Cunha peeling wide into the left channel can cause Josh Acheampong a headache.
asserted
Cunha → scar → headache
Defensively, Carrick must trust Noussair Mazraoui at left-back, with the Moroccan accomplished in that position from international duty.
asserted
Moroccan → trust → duty
Should Alonso line up in a 3-4-2-1, Mazraoui’s defensive nous - stronger than that of Diogo Dalot - sees him as a far greater foil to Palmer and Pedro Neto as the two look to cut in onto their favoured left feet.
asserted
two → line → feet
On the right, should Rogers play through the middle, Dalot will be less worried defensively, particularly if he is to face young compatriot Geovany Quenda.
asserted
he → play → Quenda
As such, the Portuguese can look to push up on the overlap to maintain width in attacking moves, trying to pin back Pep Chavarria or Marco Palestra.
asserted
Portuguese → look → Chavarria
The Aporia
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