Where are Michael Carrick’s critics now?
Thought I’d update this article with this Ferguson interview where he talks about how Carrick has improved in a Man Utd shirt.
When Michael Carrick signed for Manchester United last summer, there were plenty of Manchester United fans who questioned the deal (the player as well as the money spent on him). No Roy Keane, they said. Can’t tackle, too slow on the ball, too expensive, etc.
But the man has disproved all his critics in the most emphatic fashion, establishing himself as a first-team regular and showing the sort of grit and determination that is expected of United players.
He’s managed to open his scoring account for Manchester United, won us the Aston Villa game almost single-handedly (being involved in all 3 goals) and at 25, he’s a good prospect for Manchester United for the next 5 years, at least.
And if he’s used as well as Paul Scholes has been by Sir Alex Ferguson, you can expect Carrick to play a role at Manchester United till he’s 32-33.
Was 14 mil too much to pay for such a player?
Considering the costs involved with buying players, not to mention the fact that United were buying from a Premiership club with aspirations of a place in Europe, Carrick’s deal already looks a good bit of business (for both sides).
He can tackle, he can shoot, he sets up great moves, he’s good at set pieces, he can even win matches. He falls back to defend but also charges forward to support attacks.
What more can you ask for?
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Discussion - 19 Responses
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I agree, Ive been very happy with Carrick this season. He reminds me very much of Dennis Irwin in that he gets the job done quietly.
I totally agree Ahmed. Carrick is a great ‘possession’ player as they say: he keeps the ball and distributes it very efficiently. His positioning is excellent and he is a much better tackler than Scholesy is.. at least!
Couldn’t agree more, I was concerned by the money and the precedent it would set for future moves, Hargreaves in particular, and while I dont think anyone is worth that money Carrick’s role in the team now and as a Scholes succesor could not be more vital, (who better to learn from!)
The way to tell a good player and a talent is the propensity to take risks with passing, he always plays the risky ball when its on, that the United way and for it he will be a mainstay in the side.
Now for Ronaldinho, think that sounds crazy? Lets see.
I am still a Carrick critic.He plays superb.His long & short passes are amazing but can he score goals from long range - NO.Can make aggresive tackles - NO & u end up paying 14 million pounds for such a player.
You dont have to score goals from long range or tackle aggressively to be considered a good midfield player. Take a certain Andrea Pirlo for example. He is much in the same mould as Carrick (albeit better) but he was rated as the 3rd best player at the WC2006. With time on his side, Carrick can eventually match Pirlo’s successes.
Carrick is a superb passer of the ball. He tackles well too and intercepts the opposition. His eye for a through pass is amazing. And he gels quite well with Scholes in the current team. Best buy of the summer!
Carrick at 18 million looks like much better value then ballack on a free transfer. you can see by his performances on the pitch how hard he works on his game off it. never renowned for being a tackler or goalscorer, these are aspects of his game that are improving with every match. great signing in my eyes.
excellent signing after looking at the first half of his performance. I must admit i was critical of sir alex when he sign carrick for 18mil, i mean most man u fans would go like wtf!! but now that he has proven us wrong…i hope he continue improving. With Hargraves almost certainly coming in, i see a very strong man u side for the future. May just buy a winger and a right-back for back-up as giggs and nev and man utd looks set for the treble again =)
Carrick hass done well. With regards to Ronaldinho (Paul), we could easily get him, but to do so might cost us Ronaldo. If Ronaldinho is to leave Barcelona, then I doubt they would be satisfied with just a cash offer. Chelsea could offer them Lampard plus cash, but they would be much more interested in a straight swap for Ronaldo.
I agree that he has silenced his critics but he isnt exactly the perfect player that you made him out to be. He cant shoot at all, only one goal and about 100 way way over the bar. His tackling has improved and i agree that if used like scholes, he has another 7-8 years at united. He is a work in progress and he can only go up from here, so yea he is worth every single penny but hargreaves for 20 millions pounds ? Really ?
A good all around player , not ROY KEANE however they are two totally different players with different styles of playing : the 1st an Irish hard tackling foul mouthed player ( love you keano
) the 2nd a harmonious passer of the ball .. U CANNOT compare .. but still a great signing .
oh and worth every penny of that 18.6 million £ …
Carrick is a superb passer of the ball. Compliments the United team and style of play very well. Still not convinced think he can shoot though
What is more amazing is the way SAF got him and Scholes to gell in midfield because both of them are more “attacking” oriented (neither can really tackle well).
Regarding Ronaldinho, IMO, I would prefer going for Messi (or maybe even Robben who might become available - and while we’re at it, why not get Mourinho as well. If he can just learn to play a bit more “attacking” he would be perfect as SAF’s successor).
carrick against spurs looked every bit united, he was omnipresent and could have got a goal or 2…and he has some passing skills..
maestro carrick, take a bow…
we get the treble, give 10 million more to spurs..
no. 4 chintan…
Well he has scored a lot many goals from long-range this season so yes he has been superb! Now that u’ve seen his goals against Reading and against Roma, im sure you`ll agree…
No he’s not worth the money, he’s a mediocre player, the only thing he can do is the OCCASIONAL fluke shot but he can often play the ball to a striker well. but thats it.
P!ss him off to another team and make some money.
Sorry to be the dark cloud but I’m sorry, Michael Carrick hasn’t got the quality nor the composure to play for Man Yoo. Watching him consistently panic with his touches, through passes and shots on goal today against Reading just frustrated me to no end. Once in a blue moon he corks a beauty for a goal but other than that, he is slow and awkward during challenges, his passes in to the 18 yard box quite often are poorly weighted and his shots are always wide. Once Hargreaves is fully fit, I doubt we will see as much of him. I suppose now that Rooney broke his foot Fergie will be forced to go 4-5-1 so perhaps he will be in the lineup until Wayne’s return, but after that I would only play him to give Scholes a rest. Carrick isn’t worth have the money the club spent on him. I really want to like him and totally accept him as I am a loyal Man Yoo fanatic, but it has been hard. He has enough skill to be great for second tier clubs like Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton but United is up there with the Barcelona’s, Real’s, AC Milan’s etc. Do you see any of those teams playing Carrick in the midfield? Today Nani proved to me he should be playing regularly as of right now. That means moving Giggs more central and sitting Carrick down. Hargreaves is twice the player Carrick is and Man Yoo fans haven’t even seen how good he is at free kicks. Ronaldo and Giggs may lose their positions in that discipline due to Owen’s ability to curve and place the ball. No he isn’t Beckham but he’s pretty damned good. His pace, work ethic, stamina and control with the ball spells doom for Michael Carrick’s playing opportunities in the future.
SIGN ANELKA TO REPLACE THE INJURED ROONEY FOR THE TIME BEING….TALL N PACEY GUY WITH GOOD FINISHING! HAHAHA, N NOT COSTLY AS WELL!
How can you critise Carrick for his performance in the Reading game? He played through 5 or 6 killer balls, which should have been finished, not to mention the other 5 or 6 which were just cut out by a desperate reading defence. Carrick was for me the best player on the pitch, and played well until the team lost its shape after the loss of a recogonized forward. Carrick has plently to offer this season, he is the best passer of a ball in the side, if not in the league, and alot of our smooth passing is down to his influence.
Nani looked pretty good, alot more team focused then Ronaldo was when he first started, although there was little end product for his efforts. Overall a good debut though, buzzed around the place, linked up well and had a good strike on goal.
I think the draw will be good for the lads, as alot of teams are going to setup shop the same way Reading did for this season. its something the lads need to get on top off, reviewing this game will allow them to identify ways to combat that sort of tactic.