Manchester United win another game under Michael Carrick but what has he done besides playing Kobbie Mainoo and moving Bruno Fernandes?
We could almost hear the crowing from the Michael Carrick champions begging INEOS to put a contract on the table after an opening to the game which started with an outstanding run from Kobbie Mainoo, featured a brilliant Caoimhin Kelleher save to deny Harry Maguire from one excellent Bruno Fernandes cross and ended with Casemiro giving United the lead thanks to another wonderful delivery from the Red Devils captain.
Many of those apologists will remain convinced after another goal for Benjamin Sesko secured Carrick’s ninth win in 13 games in charge of United despite a late scare courtesy of Mathias Jensen to all-but secure Champions League football for next season.
Others will see the flow of this game, the litany of opportunities spurned by Brentford and may reach the same conclusion those believing appointing Carrick on a long-term basis would be a mistake reached long ago: this is simply not how elite football teams play football.
Igor Thiago became the first player in history to fluff a first-half hat-trick opportunity while not having a shot. The Brazilian was distracted by a sliding Luke Shaw to deny himself a tap-in at the back post, inexplicably fell over after some glorious work from Dango Ouattara when he could have slid the ball under Senne Lammens and saw the ball bounce off his legs, knees and body when put in over the top by Mathias Jensen to give Ayden Heaven the chance to get back at him.
Brentford were by far the better team in a first half which cruelly ended in Man Utd doubling their lead on the break. Benjamin Sesko’s finish was very good as he took a couple of calm touches before firing past Kelleher, but it’s made – as all United goals seem to be these days – by some Fernandes genius.
The quality and composure to wait until the very last second and drag Brentford defenders towards him before delivering the pass was stunning as he claimed his 19th assist of the season, one shy of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s record.
Carrick’s due credit for switching to a back five at half time. Keane Lewis-Potter caused no end of problems down United’s right flank in the first half and that supply line was largely cut off after the break.
But it was a change made to see out a game they took the lead in thanks almost entirely to the class of their captain after Carrick employed tactics replicated by no elite manager in world football, with his United team engaging in two strategies entirely at odds with those that tend to set the very best apart from the rest.
“How deep are United?” Gary Neville questioned after that initial pressure from United had made way for Brentford domination while watching PSG, Bayern Munich and Barcelona et al. typically involves baulking at their staggeringly high lines.
“The ones at the front for United are aggressive but the ones behind them aren’t so Brentford are going to get out – United may as well sit in,” Neville later declared in reference to the Red Devils’ pointless press after we’ve all been treated to some fabulous counter-pressing from Manchester City of late and high-risk man-to-man approaches from Vincent Kompany and Luis Enrique in the Champions League.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe supposedly isn’t convinced by Carrick on the basis of a preference for ‘alpha’ managers, but a far more tangible reason to send him packing is the football United are playing.
The co-owner should be asking himself if what has been a great improvement in results under Carrick is down to anything more nuanced than playing Mainoo and moving Fernandes into his preferred position. Even he might have come up with that change.
What he won’t have seen on Monday or in any of the 13 games under Carrick this season is a style of football befitting an elite or even very good football team, and must recognise that if he’s not able to coach them into a big-boy philosophy with more time on the training ground than any Manchester United manager in living memory then that’s not going to change next season.
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