Hello! Welcome to a brand new column from me, Ian Irving, host of the Talk of the Devils podcast. Every Friday during the season, I will bring you my reflections, along with the best of our Manchester United content from across our channels, just in case you missed it. There will also be some big talking points and debates as we head into the weekend action. So let’s get to it…
It’s one month on Friday since Manchester United announced the return of Michael Carrick as head coach until the end of season. Few could have predicted the impact he’s made over the course of the past five matches, even with his winning run coming to an end at West Ham. He’s certainly made the last few Talk of the Devils episodes much more pleasurable to record, and our writers have been pointing out the subtle touches and changes he’s made since January 13…
Carl Anka
Every now and then, you’ll be sat in a room in late afternoon/early evening and someone else will walk in and switch on the light.
That “was I sat in here in the dark for that long?” feeling is how I felt watching Carrick across these few matches and press conferences.
He plays it straight with the media. Not to say he doesn’t have a sense of humour, but there are fewer moments when you go ‘that’s going to cause a splash later’. That’s not great for a journalist hunting headlines. However, it is greatly appreciated by supporters after several months of chaos.
Mark Critchley
Bruno Fernandes’ comments post-Spurs struck me. His emphasis on the freedom that Carrick has given the players to make their own decisions out on the pitch rang true for all four games up to that point and feels a sharp contrast to Ruben Amorim’s approach.
Amorim was more structured (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
I also thought his handling of Benjamin Sesko after the Manchester derby — pulling him for a quick word amid the celebrations after he didn’t get on — was revealing, at a moment when he could so easily have been caught up in the emotions of a big win. You could tell that presence of mind was appreciated by Sesko, who has repaid him with two big goals since, even if he’s still not starting.
Andy Mitten
It’s been the same look for Michael Carrick on the touchline each match so far. A navy, wool ‘Epson’ coat from club sponsor Paul Smith, with the collar flicked up at the back. He looks decent, doesn’t he?
His style hasn’t quite made the splash of Ruben Amorim when a Paul Smith coat he wore early on sold out and became simply known as ‘The Ruben’. But that’s fine. It’s all positive at the moment; he’s coming across calmly and in control. Criticism is a hard sell when you’re winning matches. If you’re judging him on a block of five matches, then he’s done exceptionally well.
Laurie Whitwell
Substitutions. Having not seen one player come off the bench to score under Ruben Amorim this season, three goals have come via Michael Carrick’s changes. (I argue morally that number is four through Mason Mount against Man City).
That can be a lucky touch, but it does speak to Carrick’s mentality for taking a risk. When Patrick Dorgu was injured against Arsenal, he sent on Benjamin Sesko rather than shoring things up with United leading. Sesko was involved in Matheus Cunha’s winner — himself off the bench.
Sesko has since scored twice as a sub, and while that might suggest he is worthy of a start, there is psychological power in opponents fearing what could come their way late on. Against West Ham, Carrick eventually threw caution to the wind by replacing Diogo Dalot with Joshua Zirkzee (who nearly scored). Such a bold replacement wouldn’t have felt likely under Amorim.
Let’s see if Carrick’s streak on that front continues.
It’s been interesting to see how Michael Carrick has come across in his media work as head coach because he hasn’t changed. He was a steadying influence on Sir Alex Ferguson’s midfield, and he was the steadying voice sent out to do interviews when David Moyes and Louis van Gaal’s results faltered. He used to tease the club media officers that he wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone after United won. But they trusted him to give the right response.
Watch out for the pause and the nod as he receives a question and then formulates his answer. The same tell was there as a player. There have already been tricky topics to respond to as well, such as Roy Keane’s criticism of his wife, his opinion of the Glazers’ ownership of the club, and also subjects where the tone needed to be right, like the influence of the Munich Air Disaster on shaping the club. His reaction to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments may well be another challenge again.
He’s not lost a game yet, and we will learn much more about his leadership of the team when that happens and how they respond.
It’s still very early days despite the emails we received this week from fans asking if two dropped points in east London were the end of his hopes of staying on beyond the end of the season. As I wrote in this column a couple of weeks ago, people just need to see how it plays out; the picture will become clearer as the season goes on. What’s the rush?
Just this week, Thomas Tuchel signing a new deal with England has already seemingly ruled him out of the reckoning, while Roberto De Zerbi leaving Marseille has made him more available — two managers who spoke to United in the summer of 2024 when the club were weighing up Erik ten Hag’s future. Week by week, result by result, the picture will become clearer.
Devil in the detail: Leny Yoro
He’s played just 23 minutes of Carrick’s first 450 minutes as head coach. In fact, he’s started just one of United’s last nine Premier League matches that three different bosses have overseen. He’s been firmly out of favour. Part of that has been the switch in formation, with a back four even used by Ruben Amorim over his final matches, plus the form of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez. But part of that has also been Yoro’s form.
His late cameo at the London Stadium was something of a reminder of his quality. There’s an argument to be made that his substitution wasn’t just about the hamstring knock that Maguire seemed to suffer in the first half, but more about Carrick managing the risk of West Ham breakaways with Yoro’s superior recovery pace. His speed helped, but the measure of the moments he saw off from Callum Wilson and Adama Traore were excellent.
I heard Joleon Lescott describe an elite centre-back’s job recently as narrowing down an attacker’s options. Not necessarily stopping them, but rather deciding for the opponent with your actions what you’d like them to do. In these examples at the London Stadium, Yoro’s positioning initially cuts off the option to square a pass, pushing the player to have to keep the ball and shoot, before snuffing that out with a block.
Carl described him as a cat on Wednesday’s Talk of the Devils, while the other centre-back options in the squad are more dogs. You’ll have to listen or watch the episode back to understand fully what he’s on about, but it comes from a Michael Cox piece on The Athletic in 2019 about Leicester’s past pairing.
He’s still only 20, and in December, he became the youngest United defender to reach 50 appearances since Phil Jones in 2013. There’s plenty to come.
Red all over
Tuesday at West Ham was the highest share of possession United have had in a match since Carrick’s return. The challenge of having so much of the ball and trying to break down a low block has become a perennial problem for the team, and Liam Tharme has been explaining why.
A poke, a flick, a finessed finish. I’ve heard many ways to describe Benjamin Sesko’s fifth goal in his past six appearances that rescued the point late on at the London Stadium. Despite being one of the most in-form forwards in the country, he’s yet to start a match under Carrick, but is that about to change? Carl assesses the dilemma.
Bruno Fernandes’ shinned strike against Spurs last weekend was his 200th goal involvement for United. He told reporters after the game that the touch off his lower leg was deliberate and the only way he believed he could control the ball to score the second of the game. It’s the latest in a line of impressive statistics for him this season, so is this the best version yet of Bruno?
The men’s senior team have a 13-day gap between West Ham and Everton. They only face two matches scheduled on weekends between now and the middle of April. Fortunately, the women’s side’s season is really heating up to fill the void. The first leg of their first-ever last 16 tie took place away to Atletico last night, resulting in a 3-0 win, which showcased the quality of Melvine Malard, and Marc Skinner’s side also face Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round as well as in the club’s first-ever League Cup final over the next month.