United, since Michael Carrick’s arrival in January, earned more points than any other side in the league last season. United weren’t overpowering other teams, but found a way; most impressively, a setback was always followed by a positive result.
When the team’s weaknesses were exposed, previous interim managers found it hard to stop the bleeding; Michael Carrick didn’t. Even Darren Fletcher, who was in charge for two games before Michael Carrick’s arrival, failed to inspire. It separated Michael Carrick from
other interim managers, but everything’s different now.
An interim manager has many responsibilities, but the players and executives take most of the flak if there’s any to take, and most of the credit is attributed to the interim if fortunes change. This equation is no longer the same; Michael Carrick will take most of the flak going forward. The players and the executives will surrender some of the responsibility to him going forward, and by consequence, more is now expected of him.
It’s just what happens. Management’s always been brutal work and overcoming that is the fun. United were poor on the weekend against an ordinary Hull side. It’s only the first game of a long season, and United have a lot of time to figure out their best XI, the tempo they want to play at, the combinations that work, among other things.
United have a lot of options, and it won’t come as a surprise if United settle on one soon that leads to a strong run for a month or two. Imperfect teams with more quality in their ranks than most of the league always have a period or two like this at some point in the season, and it’s usually enough to qualify for the Champions League.
When Michael Carrick came in, the goal was Champions League qualification; not something out of the cards for Ruben Amorim before his sacking but something he never fully convinced he could achieve. Michael Carrick, in contrast, managed a bit more than that by leading United to a third-place finish and allowing United some breathing room with those early victories.
The bigger question is this: have United set themselves a similar goal this season or something more ambitious? If it’s the former, the loss to Hull, as dismal as it was, can be chalked off as a bad day in the office. Aston Villa lost their first three games of last season, and drew the next two but still ended the season in fourth place. If it’s the latter, questions about Michael Carrick and more should be on the table, even after the first gameweek. The problem is that as unrealistic as the latter might be, it’s one worth pursuing and scrutiny might help in that regard.
Managers and players have to take things game-by-game, so as not to distract themselves from the task at hand, but a more ambitious goal can help focus the energies. It’s hard to know what the discussions among the executives, management staff, and players are at the moment. United will probably be fine, and so will Michael Carrick; if ‘fine’ is enough is another matter.
