Michael Carrick has had a great start to life in the Manchester United dugout, but fans and the hierarchy must avoid complacency as they head into a crucial point of the season.
Fans of the club were divided about whether Ruben Amorim was the man to take them back to success, and this left a toxic and divided atmosphere throughout the Man United fan base.
Now though, following victories over Arsenal and Manchester City in Carrick’s first two games in charge as interim manager, the mood has completely changed.
It’s not just the scorelines that have been impressive, but the actual performances. The Red Devils have deserved to win both. They have played good football, created plenty of chances and been able to compete with two of their biggest rivals throughout the 90 minutes, not just in glimpses.
With such impressive wins over two title challengers, Carrick has now led United into the top four.
Confidence should no doubt be higher than before, especially with five English teams likely qualifying for the Champions League next season. There’s a real possibility that Man United are back in Europe’s elite competition sooner than expected.
They are among the contenders to do so, with betting sites placing their chances at 8/11. Using the odds converter by MyBettingSites shows that they’re given a 58% chance of being back in the Champions League.
It also falls in their favour that they are not in any cup competitions. Their rivals are playing multiple times a week, which will affect their form and cause injuries. Meanwhile, Man United can pretty much have a week’s rest and play their perfect lineup in the Premier League each game.
Despite all this positivity, it feels like the club and the fan base could fall into the same trap as in previous years.
There’s a good buzz around the club, but there are definitely some big issues on and off the pitch that need to be addressed. Players like Harry Maguire are out of contract in the summer, so the club must make a big decision on whether to continue paying his high wages or whether to look for younger talent.
Meanwhile, Carrick may be looking good, but he has only been signed as an interim. With the Red Devils only left in one competition, it is hard to get a real understanding of whether he could cope with the bigger challenges Europe’s elite clubs face when they are battling on three or four different fronts across a season.
They also enjoyed great times when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was the interim manager. He managed 2.32 points per game, but performances dropped when he got the job permanently, with the Norwegian only managing 1.79 points per game.
The hierarchy must therefore avoid getting carried away in the positivity. If they do manage to qualify for the Champions League next season, their next permanent manager appointment has to be perfect, not based on a good record over a few months.
