How mental have the last two weeks been?
We’ve gone from limping out of the FA Cup without really even trying, to battering second placed Manchester City at home and pulling first placed Arsenal’s pants down in their own back yard.
The results are obviously incredible for our chances of European football and for the morale of the team, but for the fans, it’s the way we won those games that is exciting.
The last two weeks have felt like watching the Manchester United I used to know. The club I have loved since I was 8 years old.
We played with courage. We played with desire. The instinct to push up, play forward, take a chance, and if it goes wrong, go again. That’s the Man United way, and if that is what Michael Carrick is bringing back, I’m here for it.
Amorim’s United vs Carrick’s United
United supporters can forgive a lot. What we can’t forgive, is cowardly football.
We have been through enough false dawns and half finished rebuilds to know better than to get overly excited after two games, but we also know what it looks like when a United side plays with courage. Under Amorim, that rarely happened.
Whether it was Amorim’s system holding them back, or the players’ lack of belief in him, or poor player/manager relationships, I don’t know. Whatever his plan was supposed to be, it often looked like timidity on the pitch. Midfielders turning down the forward pass. Wingers receiving the ball and playing it backwards. Centre backs being reluctant or too slow to step out.
This isn’t just a tactical thing, it’s emotional. You can debate systems all day, but supporters notice body language and decision making, and Amorim’s United were a team with no edge that had lost its nerve.
In contrast, with Carrick’s United against City and Arsenal there was a willingness to take risks. To commit men forward when the time was right, to make aggressive decisions, and to play for the win rather than trying not to lose.
United fans have been crying out for this style of play for years. The most frustrating thing about Amorim’s time in charge wasn’t the mistakes or the failures. It was the passive style of play. Going a goal up and instantly dropping back until we inevitably concede. The possession often felt like hiding. The substitutions felt like surrendering, or desperation.
But not in these last two games. The players were hungry. They went for the kill. We put 3 past Arsenal at the Emirates for goodness sake. That hasn’t happened in a Premier League game since December 2023! The players are the same. The difference is Carrick and his staff.
Should Carrick Get The Permanent Job?
Michael Carrick is only the interim manager and he has only been in the role for two weeks, but as auditions go, you would have to say he’s started pretty well.
I don’t know how the hell he has done it, but he has almost instantly made the atmosphere around the team feel lighter. He seems to have given the players permission to play with freedom as well as the belief that they can do it well.
He’s not talking like a man who thinks he has it all figured out, either. After the win at Arsenal he was talking about this being a starting point, layers needing to be added, big games to come, riding the wave of confidence. It’s a pitch perfect reaction that gives me so much confidence in him long term.
We have been here once before of course, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, so I can understand anyone who is wary of giving Carrick the job permanently – but Carrick is a different manager, this is a different team, and United is now a very different club with more realistic expectations.
Plus, I still think Ole was offed too soon. He got us 2nd place and 3rd place, could have won trophies if given more time, and had some appalling attitudes to deal with. That toxic dressing room is not an issue for Carrick, he clearly understands the Man United way, and I would like to think the club has learned its lesson when it comes to sacking managers too soon.
So despite the similarities on paper, I don’t think this is the same situation. I would have no issue with Carrick taking the reins if he continues as he has started.
Old Trafford Demands Spirit, Not Perfection
I’m not getting carried away. Two wins don’t make a season, and they definitely don’t fix some of the deeper seated issues at the club.
But if Carrick can keep spirits lifted, string a run of results together and make us feel like a team with some consistent quality, the noise will die down. Those other issues can be ironed out in a less pressurised environment. We can strengthen the squad, improve depth, individual players will begin to show us what they can really do like Dorgu has already.
There are 15 games left. Carrick isn’t going to win them all, and the next bad result will be his first test. But United don’t have to be perfect right away, they just have to show spirit. And my God have they shown spirit in the last two games.
This is the Manchester United I love. And if they keep turning up like they have against Man City and Arsenal, I say give Carrick the job and let him get on with it.