Carragher wrote a column in The Telegraph discussing Carrick's performance as Manchester United manager.

Carrick has two realistic objectives for Manchester United this season: securing a place in the Champions League and ensuring Old Trafford is no longer in chaos.

Ending Manchester United's frequent embarrassments may sound like a low bar, but given that neither of his two predecessors managed to achieve it, this challenge is clearly far more difficult than it appears.

Following a turbulent period at the club, Carrick's greatest achievement during his interim spell has been restoring Manchester United to the top ranks with composure and professionalism.

His presence on the touchline provided a reassuring familiarity, and importantly, this calm was backed by results. This weekend's Manchester derby offers an opportunity to revisit the "Carrick effect" from January, when Manchester United defeated Manchester City 2-0 in his first match as manager.

Carrick's high points-per-game ratio may not have received sufficient attention. To say he stabilized the team would be an understatement. Before last weekend's match against Everton, Manchester United had accumulated 42 points from their previous 19 games. Despite a frustrating late equalizer at Goodison Park, a mid-season record like that represents title-contending form. Arsenal won the league title in 2024 with 87 points.

When Carrick took over, Manchester United had slipped to seventh place. His achievement in leading the team to beat Manchester City, then successively defeat Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea, and finally finish in the top three was remarkable.

If newly appointed managers at Manchester City, Chelsea, or Liverpool achieved such brilliant results early in their tenures, they would likely be hailed as the next Guardiola, Mourinho, or Klopp.

Despite the impressive statistics, for Carrick, all assessments reset when he entered the new season. The goodwill he previously enjoyed with fans largely evaporated after the final whistle of the opening day defeat to Hull City. A new manager making their Premier League debut might receive some leeway, but Carrick has faced sharp criticism, and his response to it shows how quickly public opinion can turn in one of football's most high-pressure jobs.

He must be thinking: "Given what I've achieved, can't I at least get a few more matches into this new season?"

The dilemma facing Carrick and Manchester United is that the club and its fans have been hurt over the past decade. Every poor performance, every setback, is viewed as further evidence of "yet another false dawn." Anyone taking the managerial reins must bear the weight of this history. Carrick, however, lacks the authority of an experienced manager; he has no track record of managing a top Premier League club, let alone a giant like Manchester United. Whether he considers this fair or not, he must become accustomed to leading a team under such intense scrutiny.

Although Carrick needs to completely move past the Amorim and ten Hag eras, he also knows that memories linger, and fans and media inevitably worry that the team's deep-rooted problems are merely masked, not eradicated.

Even during the period when the team's results improved significantly, Manchester United's league position remained inconsistent. When a team rises dramatically in the standings, they typically build on this to challenge for higher positions in the following season.

However, for Manchester United, Carrick's strong second half that propelled them into Champions League contention also created an illusion: that the team's strength on paper far exceeds its actual level. Manchester United's good results were aided by lacking European commitments, while Liverpool and Chelsea experienced inconsistent form.

A significant result from last season's second half was that Carrick and his staff delivered such convincing performances that the club delayed their plans to find Amorim's replacement. Although there was strong external pressure initially to find another manager, Manchester United's board had little choice but to retain Carrick. While retaining Carrick was the logical decision, it still carries risk, especially when most rivals have made exciting managerial changes.

Outside Old Trafford, many observe Maresca, Xabi Alonso, and Iraola with regret, thinking: Manchester United should have followed the same path of managerial change.

Carrick secured this permanent managerial position based on a traditional notion: a manager is judged by results. But regarding his playing style, we still cannot place him within modern football's systems.

People tend to categorize managers by their training intensity, preferred formation, or football philosophy.

Maresca, Alonso, and Iraola have built clear and easily categorizable coaching identities. Carrick's football philosophy, however, remains difficult to define; everyone simply hopes he can revive the attacking style of Sir Alex Ferguson's legendary Manchester United.

Manchester United's counter-attacking system is quite effective, and this has formed the foundation of the team's impressive performances in recent years. This style of play will be key to defeating Manchester City again. However, the team remains overly dependent on Bruno Fernandes.

In my view, Manchester United fans generally understand and support the decision to retain Carrick, and they hope he can become a long-term candidate to lead the team back to Premier League or Champions League glory. But everyone outside the club remains skeptical.

In most people's eyes, Carrick's permanent appointment is still viewed as a temporary solution. The club handed over control at Old Trafford simply to wait for a top manager in summer 2027. Of course, Carrick himself would never see the job this way, but this ingrained perception is hard to dispel.

Outside Old Trafford, people view Carrick the same way they viewed Solskjaer when he officially took over Manchester United. Both initially served as interim manager because they were club legends. After achieving good results, retaining them long-term was a rational choice driven by emotion.

But one unavoidable point is: based solely on their managerial CVs, top clubs in England or Europe would not actively pursue them; other clubs would not factor in sentiment when evaluating whether to offer a permanent contract.

Frankly, the challenge facing Carrick also haunted Southgate during his tenure as England manager. One defeat, or one poor tactical decision, and that sharp question resurfaces: is a manager once sacked by Middlesbrough truly worthy of one of football's most important managerial positions?

Battling the "predetermined failure" narrative

At Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool, there are high external expectations, with curiosity about how the new managers will inherit or even surpass their predecessors' brilliant records. Fans desperately want Maresca, Alonso, and Iraola to succeed. At Manchester United, Carrick appears to constantly fight against an existing assumption: that he will ultimately fail.

On paper, Manchester United has a relatively easy start to the season compared to their big-four rivals.

However, the team has managed only one win from three league matches, and with upcoming matches against Manchester City, a League Cup tie against Brighton, and an away trip to Fulham, the difficulty level of their schedule has increased sharply. As the first international break of the season approaches, there is always one manager in the media spotlight. Carrick needs some morale-boosting wins to avoid becoming the target of criticism. The comfortable victory against Sabah last night provided a good start to this critical period.

Given his track record so far, he deserves time to prove he is not just a great interim manager, but the right long-term leader for Manchester United. However, he must also understand that he has much more to prove to solidify his position as Manchester United's permanent manager.

Like last season, the Manchester derby may be the perfect opportunity to begin this journey of proof.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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