Manchester United's Midfield Kingpin, Michael Carrick

You don't need an expert or a magician to tell you that the midfield players of Manchester have been poor. Mentions can be made of Nani (though he hasn't played), Fletcher (probably because of injury), Young (shows flashes of brilliance in one or two games but has been poor in most matches), Valencia (ever since he has given the iconic number 7 jersey, he has not been himself) and last but not the least Cleverly (a bit harsh but its obvious he still has a lot of things to learn, even though i can say he has been one of the better players along with Anderson who unfortunately is injury prone). 

But Michael Carrick has been the glimmer of hope for the under-performing United midfield putting in fantastic displays on a consistent basis to salvage this unfortunate situation that is infact hurting the progress of the entire team as a whole.

Carrick critics always seem to go to one place more than any other – where he passes the ball. Maybe it’s because United’s midfield has lacked quality in recent years or because fans struggle to see the value in keeping possession over a high-risk pass forwards but it’s always been an odd thing to hold against a player when the numbers have never quite proven it’s the case. More to the point, United are a side who often like using the wings so distributing the ball sideways makes sense for a central player.

It’s therefore rather amusing to read that Carrick, a player who is often criticized for where he moves the ball, has played more forward passes than any other player in the league this season. That suggest though he may have not scored or assisted as much as he should but he has played a big part in many of the clubs best moves this season.

Having inherited Keane’s old number and being signed the summer after Roy left United, there was, wrongly or rightly, always going to be a level of expectation associated with Carrick. Having a style on the pitch that was really quite dissimilar to Roy’s didn’t help nor did a performance in Rome in the Champions League final. Still, it’s fair to suggest that it’s taken Carrick a little while to truly find his niche in the team.

Even if passing stats for Carrick are pretty, they’re arguably not the most valuable part of what he does.
Actually, a comparison with the great Roy Keane is probably as apt as it ever has been. Not because of their style or in the sense of leadership. Rather, Carrick’s made himself invaluable to the side through his intelligence and great vision.

Whether it’s a pass or tackle you can be sure that it’s almost always perfectly executed to the highest level. His perfect partner is arguably yet to be found but putting energy and dynamism around him appears to be the best route for a generally underwhelming midfield. In fact, Keane in his pomp would probably thrive playing with the Carrick of today.