Player Focus: Underrated Carrick Key to Upturn in United Form

It’s very hard to look at a run of six successive victories and see a problem, but it’s equally very hard to look at a Manchester United game these days and not see a host of major issues. Their surge into third has been baffling, deeply flawed performances masked by consistent results. Louis van Gaal has left nobody in any doubt that he hasn’t been especially happy with the way United are playing, although after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Liverpool he did give his side credit for the way they’ve been “forcing our luck”.

In that phrase he seemed to sum up that least graspable of concepts: the ability certain sides have of making the best of things. There is an attribute of winningness, the capacity to withstand pressure and take chances when they come, to have the hard edge of champions. United had that in abundance under Sir Alex Ferguson and they seem to have re-discovered it, aided by the superlative goalkeeping of David De Gea and some fine finishing, most notably by Robin van Persie.

But there is another factor in United’s return to, if not form, then at least winning. Michael Carrick missed the start of the season after ankle surgery, and his return was delayed by a groin strain. He played 47 minutes of the 1-0 defeat against Manchester City, a game that will perhaps come to be seen as a turning point for Van Gaal: although his side lost, they played 52 minutes of the game with 10 men after the dismissal of Chris Smalling and were a little unfortunate to lose. Since then, Carrick has played every minute.

He’s operated as a midfielder, as a holding player and as a central defender, performing all three roles with his customary sense of calm authority. At Southampton, in particular, it was noticeable how the course of the game changed after he dropped into the back three following the substitution of Paddy McNair just before half-time.

United had played in a frenzy of panic for much of that first half, and probably should have been behind, but once Carrick was installed in the middle of the back three, Southampton never looked as threatening. Part of the reason was Carrick’s passing: an 86.5% pass success rate compared to the 72% McNair had achieved. United distributed better and so were able to control the tempo of the game better.

He’s a player who’s been underrated for most of his career, largely because he rarely does anything spectacular. Those whose knowledge of football comes from Vines and YouTube clips will see little in him. He’s a player appreciated by other players and by those who watch United regularly live; his strength is his positioning, the way his movement can stifle opposition attacks, the way he keeps the ball, the way his calm rubs off on others. It’s true that in certain games he can look flustered when pressed – notably in the two Champions League finals against Barcelona – but against all but the very elite he offers a tremendous sense of control.

His pass success rate this season has been 90%; that’s the 12th best record of anybody who’s started at least six games in the Premier League this season. More telling, though, is that he averages 4.6 long passes per game – more than all but one of those 11 players with higher pass success rates than him (slightly surprisingly, that player is Phil Jagielka). Carrick is not just knocking the ball sideways, or always looking for simple balls; he is maintaining a high pass success rate despite – contrary to stereotype – seeking long forward passes. He’s also made 1.9 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game as well as 2.6 clearances and 0.7 blocks per game: he can do the defensive work even if he’s only made half of his starts in the back line.

But really, Carrick’s influence is less tangible than that. He’s a player whose presence seems to make others play better, and that is something reflected in United’s recent results. At 33, he’s re-emerged over the past month as a vital player in United’s future.

How important do you think Carrick's return to action has been in United's recent form? Let us know in the comments below