Will Carrick Still be Manchester United Manager after the Break??
Two weeks ago, after Carrick got rolled over by Fàbregas' Como in the Champions League, I called it. I was waiting for that dreadful notification and the Old Trafford corner flag tweet announcing that the club had parted ways with their first team coach. It was going to happen. It was just a matter of time. Or so we all thought.
Something unprecedented happened. The club actually chose to back Carrick. Some have said that they couldn't sack him because it would cost too much. Others said that there wasn't a good enough replacement in the market at the time. While all this could be true, Carrick had survived, at least until the international break, if the rumors are to be believed.
Carrick now had three games to prove himself. The first was against Chelsea. The first half was actually decent, and if it wasn't for the poor finishing Manchester United would have closed the first half with a couple of goals to their name. Then the second half came and our poor defending and an unnecessary elbow and red card from Martinez all but guaranteed a loss.
Then came the game vs Roma in the Champions League. I was going to watch the game, but I ended up passing out on the sofa like an overworked father. After all, we were going to lose anyway, right?
When I woke up, I couldn't believe it. We had actually won a game. A comeback from 2 goals down. I went searching for a record of the match to understand what happened. The first half was absolutely rubbish. Dalot, again, shutting off his brain and leaving a player unmarked, twice, leading to the two goals in the first half.
At that point, those who were watching the game must have felt it was all over. They had seen this happen over and over this season.
Something then must have happened in the dressing room at half time. The Bruno Fernandes repeat penalty seemed to give the players a new sense of hope and the fans in the stadium fanned those embers. Suddenly we had energy in the legs. A hint of defiance in the eye. Cunha was leading the charge. His two goals in the final 10 minutes of the game finally put Manchester United in the lead. Then he got red carded for a stupid foul and his team mates were left to see out the last 5 minutes of the game.
At that point, the fans must have thought, "Here we go again! They are going to score now." But that didn't happen. They were resilient till the final whistle. Carrick had just won his third game of the season, and an important one at that to have a chance of moving into the next stage of the Champions League.
Now the focus turns to the final game before the international break. Manchester United welcome a very good Aston Villa side to Old Trafford this weekend, Sunday. It might be Carrick's last chance to prove that he has something about him. Because, at the moment, it doesn't feel like the manager influenced the win vs Roma. It felt like professional pride kicked in and the players had a point to prove.
Now Carrick has a lot to prove. Even if he does win, there is no guarantee he doesn't get sacked over the two week break. I guess we just have to wait and see.
Something unprecedented happened. The club actually chose to back Carrick. Some have said that they couldn't sack him because it would cost too much. Others said that there wasn't a good enough replacement in the market at the time. While all this could be true, Carrick had survived, at least until the international break, if the rumors are to be believed.
Carrick now had three games to prove himself. The first was against Chelsea. The first half was actually decent, and if it wasn't for the poor finishing Manchester United would have closed the first half with a couple of goals to their name. Then the second half came and our poor defending and an unnecessary elbow and red card from Martinez all but guaranteed a loss.
Then came the game vs Roma in the Champions League. I was going to watch the game, but I ended up passing out on the sofa like an overworked father. After all, we were going to lose anyway, right?
When I woke up, I couldn't believe it. We had actually won a game. A comeback from 2 goals down. I went searching for a record of the match to understand what happened. The first half was absolutely rubbish. Dalot, again, shutting off his brain and leaving a player unmarked, twice, leading to the two goals in the first half.
At that point, those who were watching the game must have felt it was all over. They had seen this happen over and over this season.
Something then must have happened in the dressing room at half time. The Bruno Fernandes repeat penalty seemed to give the players a new sense of hope and the fans in the stadium fanned those embers. Suddenly we had energy in the legs. A hint of defiance in the eye. Cunha was leading the charge. His two goals in the final 10 minutes of the game finally put Manchester United in the lead. Then he got red carded for a stupid foul and his team mates were left to see out the last 5 minutes of the game.
At that point, the fans must have thought, "Here we go again! They are going to score now." But that didn't happen. They were resilient till the final whistle. Carrick had just won his third game of the season, and an important one at that to have a chance of moving into the next stage of the Champions League.
Now the focus turns to the final game before the international break. Manchester United welcome a very good Aston Villa side to Old Trafford this weekend, Sunday. It might be Carrick's last chance to prove that he has something about him. Because, at the moment, it doesn't feel like the manager influenced the win vs Roma. It felt like professional pride kicked in and the players had a point to prove.
Now Carrick has a lot to prove. Even if he does win, there is no guarantee he doesn't get sacked over the two week break. I guess we just have to wait and see.