Manchester United have stunned football fans around the world after winning their last four Premier League games, two of which came against the top two teams. They first beat Manchester City, with goals from Bryan Mbuemo and Patrick Dorgu. Then, even more surprisingly, they overcame current league leaders Arsenal, defeating them 3-2, with goals from the same two as well as Matheus Cunha.
Manchester United fans, who are some of the most loyal in the league, supporting their team through all their rough reasons, are overjoyed at their team’s recent resurrection. University of Edinburgh student Adam Charity Williams, a long-time Manchester United fan, expressed that he was “…glad the fruits of our labour are finally showing.” When asked about how he feels regarding the team’s recent fixtures, he stated: “The performances are reminiscent of the Ferguson era.” After years of disappointment, United wins feel better than ever for many fans around the world.
The obvious common factor between Manchester United’s success in the last two games is the appointment of Michael Carrick as interim Head Coach. Carrick has certainly had a powerful start to his time as interim coach – first beating Manchester City and then defeating Arsenal at Emirates Stadium – where they have not won since 2017.
In his short time as coach so far, the changes Carrick has made have been “subtle but effective.” He got rid of Ruben Amorim’s favoured back three formation, instead switching to a 4-2-3-1 lineup. He also boldly started with Dorgu ahead of Cunha in both matches, which proved effective with Dorgu performing well and scoring in both.
With Carrick’s success in his first few games as interim Head Coach, the dilemma of whether or not he is a good long term option for the team is up for debate. United must be wary of their decision either way, as they don’t want a repeat of what happened with Solskjaer in 2019. Making a promising caretaker a manager with a three-year contract certainly hasn’t worked out in the past for United, and the last thing this team needs is a repeat of their 2019-2021 era. Perhaps Carrick will settle into his role and maintain the team’s favourable performances, but only time will tell if Carrick can keep producing these redoubtable wins.
“O’Shea Rooney Carrick” by Gordon Flood is licensed under CC BY 2.0.