In 2015, when he was still a Man United player, Michael Carrick was tested psychologically by The Predictive Index. The final result, Carrick was rated as "patient, stable, working steadily, consistent and liking to follow a thoughtful process to ensure success".
Recalling in his autobiography, the captain of the "Red Devils" was also very surprised by the accuracy of the test from The Predictive Index. However, if you look at Man United's performance this season when Carrick was leading, you can see that the results concluded 11 years ago are completely grounded.
Before the match in round 38, Michael Carrick maintained stability and consistency in his playing style, helping the team win 11/16 matches. Man United is the team that has won the most points in the Premier League at the time Carrick took over.
Returning to the 4-2-3-1 formation with Bruno Fernandes playing "number 10" and Kobbie Mainoo playing freely helped Carrick maintain a stable squad. This is not something too sudden in terms of tactics, but it comes from the very careful consideration of the 44-year-old coach.
Michael Carrick is always patient with all players and creates a peaceful atmosphere in the dressing room. Man United stars are given opportunities, even with those who are playing poorly like Joshua Zirkzee or Manuel Ugarte. When they go on the field but still cannot perform, they have no reason to blame anymore.
Being calculated in everything also helps Carrick and the players themselves be less passive when encountering upheavals, which is completely different from when Ruben Amorim was in charge. Carrick's official appointment is also not surprising, in the context that there are still many potential candidates outside Old Trafford who want to be given this dream job.
Although both have good performances as interim managers, the official appointments of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick are somewhat different. Solsa became captain in the context that the club's leadership is still the old team like the Glazer family or CEO Ed Wooward. Meanwhile, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox at this time, all decisions made are more convincing because they are experienced sports people, unlike the old leadership group that was purely business.
Carrick was appointed after Man United officially won a ticket to the Champions League, something they had never thought of when Amorim was still in charge. Meanwhile, Solskjaer was appointed when the "Red Devils" were not yet sure to win a Champions League ticket. The decision was made at that time after the team made a memorable comeback against PSG in the most prestigious European arena in March 2019. After that match, Man United was no longer too sublimated and questions about the appointment of Solsa were hastily mentioned again.
The question now is whether Carrick can go a long way or not? In the process of running Man United since taking over the team to replace the Glazer family, Sir Jim often prioritized extroverted coaches. Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim have this tendency more clearly than Carrick. Even Amorim once "kicked" Sir Jim directly when he came to the club's training ground. This will be a problem that needs time to prove.
In the past 20 years, Carrick has only had 4 years without working at Old Trafford, which is a clear advantage for him compared to Solskjaer, Ten Hag or Amorim. Carrick's understanding of the team sometimes details the talent of each individual at Carrington Academy. Besides guaranteed achievements, if the club's leadership finds someone who understands Man United, no one is more confident than Carrick at this time.
After many failures with coaches heavily promoted by the media, even having won national championships in places like Portugal or the Netherlands, now Man United has chosen a taciturn person, less scrutinized by the media like Carrick to once again hope for a journey of renaissance.
