How Carrick organised his midfield to beat Fulham

Man United's Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha celebrate/HANDOUT

Before the game against Fulham on Sunday, Michael Carrick called his players together and told them the match would be a real test of everything they had worked on during the week.

The players had been fired up for the matches against Manchester City and Arsenal, where their best players were able to take advantage of counter-attacking space. The next game against Fulham, Carrick warned, presented a bigger challenge. He told his players they had to be organised to take on the Cottagers, who would defend deep, crowd the penalty area and allow no way through for strikers or midfield passes.

Carrick’s solution was to work tirelessly on set pieces, which would allow the ball to penetrate the packed defence. A perfectly placed free kick from Bruno Fernandes found Casemiro at the back post and United went one up.

What Carrick has succeeded in putting together is the perfect trio of Casemiro, Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, something Ruben Amorim never dreamed of doing. Casemiro tackles strongly, as he has done throughout his career, and can dominate in the air around the penalty area. Fernandes creates chances and sprays passes into the right areas, while Mainoo connects the three roles and gives the midfield extra presence.

Kobbie part of the new spirit at United

With the arrival of Michael Carrick as Manchester United's interim coach, the question of whether midfielder Kobbie Mainoo might leave has changed completely.

There has been considerable discussion between the United contracts team and CAA Steller, who represent Kobbie, with a view to renegotiating his deal and offering enhanced terms.

However, at the request of some influential insiders at the club, including former striker Louis Saha, the talks are likely to be put on hold to allow the player himself to concentrate on rebuilding his career and reputation after the reign of Ruben Amorim, who told Kobbie he should find another club.

Kobbie is still only 20 years old and will not turn 21 until April. His calm nature and dribbling ability are very much appreciated by Carrick, who has admired him since his academy days at United.

United’s players have been very impressed with Carrick’s training sessions, which he actively joins in. During a passing drill, for instance, Michael made two passes that Harry Maguire described as the best out of the 300 made during the session.

Young 19-year-old Ayden Heaven also praised Carrick’s assistant coaches, highlighting the help Jonny Evans has given him. He said:

“It’s really good. Jonny especially has been helping me a lot. Me and Leny Yoro, after some sessions, go to do extras and just work on the basics. Even between drills, Jonny and Jonathan (Woodgate) are always pulling me aside and helping with my positioning. I’ve enjoyed it a lot. They are a big help.”

With wins over Manchester City and Arsenal, Carrick now takes on Tottenham this weekend with a squad who have, to a man, embraced the interim coach, his tactics and his methods, and with the kind of spirit that could secure a top-four place.

Why Liverpool must spend this summer

The Reds overcame Qarabag 6-0 in a midweek Champions League match, but the scoreline is largely irrelevant compared to their hit-and-miss form in the Premier League. A 4-1 win over Newcastle has eased the pressure on Arne Slot, but there are still questions about the depth of the first-team squad.

Qarabag play in the Azerbaijan top flight, which can hardly be taken seriously in terms of quality. Admittedly, they have one or two decent players brought in from abroad and use a tiki-taka style, built on short passes, patient build-up and players interchanging positions. Unless you are Atletico Madrid, who also use this method, it is easy for experienced, highly talented Premier League players to overcome.

Which brings us back to Liverpool in the league this season. They need major surgery in the summer if they are to contend for titles. Arne Slot’s side sometimes look like they are playing against themselves, surrendering late leads or draws when they should have won. Seven points have been lost in this way. The defeat to Bournemouth is a typical example. After coming from two goals down to level the game, Liverpool gave up possession and the Cherries scored a last-minute winner, heartbreaking for supporters.

Van Dijk, Kerkez and Salah are shadows of their former selves, giving the ball away, missing chances and showing signs of fatigue at a vital stage of the season. Against Bournemouth, Liverpool showed little creativity going forward, particularly as the home side did not use the low block that Slot dislikes. Both of Liverpool’s goals came from set pieces they had worked on tirelessly in training, but they did not score from open play.

Slot pointed out this week how small his squad is compared to some of their rivals, although he was one of the decision-makers when the club spent £241 million on only two signings last summer, rather than strengthening across the squad.

The futures of Salah, Chiesa and Gomez remain uncertain, and Liverpool will require further investment this summer if they are to become genuine title contenders again.

Depth of squad key to Arsenal’s title push

Even Mikel Arteta has privately said he believes the Gunners can lift the title this season. Usually, he refuses to speculate until the final matches in April. The main reason for his confidence is the depth of the squad, which has been dramatically improved by sporting director Andrea Berta.

The injury to Bukayo Saka during the warm-up against Leeds would normally have caused problems, but Noni Madueke replaced him and showed that training had kept every player ready for such an emergency. He supplied passes that helped Arsenal take a 2-0 lead before they eventually left Elland Road as 4-0 winners.

Arteta said: “So in the warm-up, Bukayo had a little niggle. He wasn’t comfortable starting the game, so I immediately made the decision to bring Noni in. It is incredible the options we have, but that’s only possible if those players have the right mindset. We spoke before the match about how it would be a long game and that we would have to navigate difficult moments. We needed everybody to fulfil their role, and I think the players executed that incredibly well.”

Villa’s title challenge unlikely as Emery predicted

A home defeat to Brentford on Sunday has probably ended Aston Villa’s title challenge, just as manager Unai Emery has been saying for months, much to the frustration of supporters: “We are not title contenders this season.”

Villa also have Champions League top-four rivals closing in and ready to push them down the table.

Emery succeeded in bringing Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey back to the club, along with Tammy Abraham. However, I understand that the deal to buy Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, if he plays three games during his loan spell, may be changed. The midfielder would cost Villa £35 million, but the club want to avoid this clause to give Elliott more game time without being forced into a purchase.

Szoboszlai doesn’t see himself as a right back

At Liverpool’s request, Dominik Szoboszlai has played as a temporary right back. He has done well and helped keep the team in several matches where they might otherwise have been overrun. The Hungarian 25-year-old put in a superb performance against Newcastle, for instance, when he deputised for the injured Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley.

However, Dominik is less than happy playing right back on a long-term basis, although he wants to do his best for the team.

He said this week: “I don’t want to do this long term, and not even medium term if I am honest. I am a midfielder and hopefully our right back will come back from injury quickly so I can return to the middle. I’m happy if the manager wants me to play there, but I think midfield is where I am strongest. If I am closer to the opponent’s goal, I can be more dangerous. But if the team needs me at the back, I will play and give my best. Now Wata (Endo) and Curtis (Jones) are ready, so we have quite a few options.”

The midfielder has become more vocal on the pitch and has learned a lot from captaining Hungary. He now has a stronger presence in the dressing room, and even the biggest stars listen when he speaks. It was once the dressing room of Jordan Henderson and vice-captain Andy Robertson, but Robertson also looks close to leaving this summer.

What is surprising is that Liverpool have yet to tie Szoboszlai down to a new contract, even though his current deal runs until 2028. He has made his wish to stay very clear, but says talks are not progressing.

“It is not in my hands. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys and I love Anfield. Let’s see what happens. Hopefully, everyone will be happy at the end.”

Why the spirit of winning hasn’t died at Tottenham

The most relieved man at White Hart Lane on a damp, rainy evening last Sunday was Thomas Frank. If the 2-0 half-time score against Manchester City had held, the Tottenham manager might have been heading for the exit door on Monday morning.

As it turned out, he was hailed as a hero.

The spirit of his players was astonishing, and even Frank admitted that his half-time talk, the switch to a 4-4-2 formation, and the brilliance of Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons turned the game around. Fans who left at half time, disgusted by a first half that looked like boys against men, must have regretted their decision and the average £70 ticket. Spurs were sensational after the break, and even Pep Guardiola could find no answers as City squandered their 2-0 lead to draw 2-2.

Carrick wants Rashford back at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick wants to bring Marcus Rashford back to Old Trafford from Barcelona if he becomes Manchester United’s permanent manager. The two played together toward the end of Carrick’s career.

After stunning wins over Manchester City and Arsenal, there is already a mood in Manchester that Michael could achieve his ambition to lead the club next season.

Rashford was humiliated by Ruben Amorim, who said he would rather play United’s 63-year-old goalkeeping coach. The forward joined Aston Villa on loan at the end of the 2024-25 season before heading to Spain.

Regrettably for United fans, he has told friends he would rather stay in Barcelona after scoring nine goals and providing 12 assists this season.

The La Liga giants have an option to buy him for £26 million at the end of the season, and sources at the club say they intend to activate it. Manager Hansi Flick appreciates him and would like him to stay, although the final decision rests with sporting director Deco.

Glasner hits out at Palace recruitment

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been venting his anger and frustration, describing the club’s recent moves as “a step backwards.”

During the January transfer window, Palace sold Marc Guehi to Manchester City, while Eberechi Eze had already left for Arsenal in the summer. Glasner said those departures have made a huge difference as the team continues a run of nine matches without a win dating back to early December.

Although he is leaving in the summer, Glasner wants to progress quickly with what is now almost a new squad.

“With two or three players returning from injury and five or six new signings, it feels like starting the season all over again. It feels like two years ago, teaching them how we want to play and attack. You can see many misunderstandings on the pitch, and this is taking a step backwards.”

This isn’t an Arteta joke…

Mikel Arteta is known for introducing unusual ideas to improve his players. He once hired pickpockets to attend a Tottenham dinner to teach the squad to stay alert. He also played “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at training before a game against Liverpool. Now he has come up with an even stranger idea.

Last September, he planned to consult Royal Air Force pilots to improve communication between Arsenal players during matches. He never followed through at the time, but has now returned to the idea.

According to Arteta, pilots in the air do not use 20 words when one or two will do. They communicate quickly and efficiently. He plans to spend time with the pilots to observe how they respond in different situations, how fast they react, and how they pass on instructions with minimal time wasted. He will then apply those lessons with his players.