Manchester United's new era officially begins this weekend, when interim coach Michael Carrick returns to the coaching bench in the first match of his second term.
The challenge for Carrick is the ultimate. That is the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, where Manchester City set a goal to continue chasing the Premier League title race, while directly threatening the home team's ambition to win a Champions League spot.
The Manchester Derby has always been special, but this confrontation is even more attractive because this is Carrick's official debut as interim head coach until the end of the season. Before kick-off, there are many big questions that the 43-year-old strategist is considering.
Can Carrick overcome the "Derby curse" of Man United coaches?
This is a rare harsh debut. Carrick became the first coach in the history of both Man United and Man City to start his term with a Manchester derby.
In the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, few Man United coaches succeeded in their first derby. David Moyes, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag all lost 0-3. Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also could not win.
The only exception is Ruben Amorim, who once made a spectacular comeback with Man United at Etihad in December 2024 with 2 goals after the 88th minute. Amad Diallo brought a penalty for Bruno Fernandes before scoring the decisive goal in injury time himself.
Carrick certainly wants to recreate that script, or at least create a positive enough performance to build initial trust.
Will Man United play low and counter-attack?
Although Man City's average ball possession rate this season (62.2%) is the lowest since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016, they still often completely overwhelm their opponents in terms of possession time, especially in derbies.
In the past 9 years, Man United has almost always had to play in a defensive position against City. However, that does not mean defeat. Under Solskjaer, Man United only had an average ball possession of 36.4% in derby matches but still won 4 and lost 4.
It is very difficult to predict which approach Carrick will choose, but it is highly likely that Man United will prioritize switching quickly instead of controlling the ball for a long time.
At Middlesbrough, Carrick's team is famous for fast counter-attacks. In the last 3 seasons he coached, Boro has always been in the top group in the Championship in terms of the number of shots originating from fast counter-attack situations - leading the entire league in the 2024-2025 season with 50 shots of this type.
Man United currently owns many players suitable for that playing style such as Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo or Lisandro Martinez. These are people who have the ability to pass quickly and launch direct attacks.
Notably, 9.8% of the shots Man City faces this season come from fast counter-attacks - the fifth highest rate in the Premier League.
The biggest problem lies behind. With 32 goals conceded, the Old Trafford home team is having their worst defensive record in this period in the Premier League era. This raises the question, is the current defense solid enough to bear pressure and wait for counter-attack opportunities?
Carrick's likely abandonment of Amorim's three-center-back formation may be the first step to regain balance.
The match between Man United and Man City takes place at 7:30 PM on January 17 (Vietnam time).
