The final game of the European season ended with PSG defeating Arsenal in the Champions League final, and it proved one thing about Michael Carrick.
The Champions League music will return to Old Trafford next season, and Man Utd have Michael Carrick to thank for it.
He achieved a tall objective set out for him in January and earned the permanent Man Utd manager job as a result.
However, even this season’s Champions League left a lesson for United, which is that Carrick sealed that job in just his second week.
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Michael Carrick’s Arsenal result ages like wine
Carrick might have got the permanent manager job one game before the season finished, but he started with a Midas touch.
Wins against Man City and Arsenal gave the team a momentum they never relinquished, and it can now be said that the latter, in particular, was an insane result.
With less than two weeks on the training pitch, Carrick took United to the home of the league leaders, who were unbeaten at home in the league at that point, and hung three goals on them.
Seeing the way teams have struggled to score against Arsenal, let alone beat them, Carrick deserves immense credit for that win.
Even PSG looked toothless in attack for large parts during the UCL final, ultimately getting a penalty to equalise in the second half.
Carrick, in contrast, employed a strategy that even Pep Guardiola used to defeat Arsenal in the cup final this season.
A result that looked like a huge upset at the time had aged like a pure masterstroke. The Champions League final, pitting Arsenal against the best team in Europe, proved it beyond doubt.
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Carrick has already shown the tactical flexibility to get the most out of a limited squad in unique circumstances this season.
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It was clear against Brighton in the last game of the season that Carrick’s vision of football is far more exciting than he showed to seal UCL qualification.
If he is given the players to execute that vision, then the sky is the limit for where this team could go, because his man-management skills are top-notch too.
He has already shown that he can beat the very top teams with a clear tactical blueprint. Once he has the players to execute his vision, he’ll do it against the other teams with the same consistency.
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