Michael Carrick raves about Man Utd ace who allowed him to do vs Brentford what Amorim never did

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Champions League qualification at Man Utd is a mere formality now, and Michael Carrick gave flowers to one player for helping him win vs Brentford.

Heroes were plenty in Man Utd’s 2-1 win against Brentford, from goalscorers Benjamin Sesko and Casemiro, to assisters Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.

Kobbie Mainoo is becoming a superstar, while Senne Lammens deserved a clean sheet that didn’t arrive.

However, beyond all these heroes, one player allowed Michael Carrick to do what Ruben Amorim never did at Old Trafford. It helped seal the win.

Michael Carrick on Noussair Mazraoui’s role vs Brentford

Despite his sparkling record as Man Utd manager, Carrick has faced questions about his in-game management.

Late substitutions and a perceived lack of tactical inventiveness in those changes have been seen as a sign of a limited ceiling on him as a top-level manager.

However, he responded to those doubts with a proactive change against Brentford, shifting to a back-three setup by subbing off Amad at half-time for Noussair Mazraoui.

Carrick said after the game that it was “purely tactical” to prevent Brentford from hitting certain spaces.

The key to that change was Noussair Mazraoui, who played a different position yet again after starting as a CB in a back four against Chelsea.

Carrick praised Mazraoui’s versatility after he played the role in a back three vs Brentford, and indirectly exposed Amorim’s stubbornness in the process.

He said: “I think you can put a formation on numbers on paper, but the way you play, there are only certain moments that you’re in those numbers in possession, out of possession, whether you’re pressing, whether you’re a little bit deeper. We need to be flexible.

“[Mazraoui] came in again and did fantastically well. Playing two positions just shows that, on the back of last week, he was very unlucky not to be playing tonight.

“He stepped in great, and flexibility is important, adapting is important, and actually managing the game is what I thought we did tonight.”

Ruben Amorim indirectly exposed by Carrick

Mazraoui has been the model professional squad player and exactly the kind of profile that allows the manager to remain tactically flexible.

Amorim used Mazraoui in various positions as well, but always within that system of his, which was the biggest non-negotiable.

Carrick, in contrast, recognised the game situation and used Mazraoui to facilitate a system switch, instead of putting square pegs in round holes.

His comments after the game about needing to be flexible instead of dying on the hill of certain numbers in a formation on a sheet of paper indirectly expose Amorim.

His predecessor felt it right to fall on the sword of sticking by his system instead of winning games, while Carrick prefers three points instead.