Jamie Carragher has questioned whether Michael Carrick has developed a clear enough tactical identity to justify his position as Manchester United manager, despite the strong results which secured him a permanent contract.
The former Liverpool defender believes United have become too dependent on counter-attacking football and the individual creativity of Bruno Fernandes, with Carrick’s approach yet to develop beyond a broad return to the attacking traditions associated with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Carrick impressed during his interim spell at Old Trafford in the second half of last season before being handed a contract running until 2028. However, Carragher has suggested that the decision represented a significant gamble given the coach’s limited experience in senior management.
Writing in his Telegraph column, Carragher said Carrick had been given his opportunity largely because of his results, rather than because he had demonstrated a distinctive footballing philosophy.
“In terms of football style, we do not yet know who he sits with in the modern game,” Carragher wrote.
Jamie Carragher questions Manchester United’s tactical identity
Carrick previously spent two and a half years in charge of Middlesbrough in the Championship, where he enjoyed periods of progress but ultimately lost his job. Carragher believes that record did not necessarily provide sufficient evidence that he was ready to lead a club of United’s size.
The criticism comes as United prepare to host Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday, 13 September. The Manchester derby is scheduled to kick off at 4.30pm and will offer Carrick an early test of whether his side can impose themselves against one of the league’s leading teams.
Carragher contrasted Carrick with several rival managers who, in his view, already have more readily recognisable identities. He pointed to Enzo Maresca at Manchester City, Andoni Iraola at Liverpool and Xabi Alonso at Chelsea as coaches whose methods are easier to define.
“Maresca, Alonso and Iraola have established identities making them easier to categorise,” Carragher said. “As yet, it is difficult to define Carrick’s football.”
The former England international added that United had become a “strong counter-attacking unit”, an approach which had underpinned some of their best results in recent seasons. But he argued that the team still relied too heavily on Fernandes to create and decide matches.
United’s next challenge will be to show that Carrick’s methods can produce more than effective transitions and moments of individual inspiration. The derby against City should provide an indication of whether the manager’s tactical blueprint is beginning to take shape.
