Forty years to the day since legendary manager Alex Ferguson joined Manchester United at the age of 44, Michael Carrick, who also took charge aged 44 at the start of this year, faced the media ahead of Sunday’s home Premier League game against Aston Villa.
Ferguson took over a team 19th in the table after a start to the season which saw only one win in the opening nine games – the same as this season. Ferguson’s predecessor Ron Atkinson was sacked on November 6 with his side having played 13 league games winning only three. Like this season, they’d also been knocked out of the League Cup.
There are many unfortunate parallels for a United currently enjoying their worst start since that 1986-87 horror show. Then, United chose to sack Atkinson after five years at the helm, now Carrick’s job is under pressure. Not that he showed any evidence of such as when he revealed that he often speaks to Ferguson.
“I’m probably closer to him now and speak more to him now than I did when I was playing,” said Carrick. “Relationships change over time and that’s only natural. The impact he had on me as an individual was immense. Not necessarily directly as in talking all the time and advice all the time.
“Personally, it was more of just the influence that he had and the habits that you try to pick up from him. Then you move on and evolve a little bit into a friendship.”
Asked if the modern United could live up to the Ferguson levels, Carrick said: “That’s a lot of winning, a lot of trophies and a lot of success. It’s difficult to bring success. It was difficult then, it’s difficult now. It just shows you how tough it is to have sustained success, never mind moments of success.
“Again, we’ve got to live in the moment. We know what we’ve got to do, and we’ve got to point to it to bring success week to week in games. Then things fall into place. If you do that enough then, do it often enough, then you'll bring a bigger version of it”.
Asked if it’s impossible to live up to those standards, Carrick replied: “Well, it’s not impossible. Anything’s possible. You’ve got to build; you’ve got to be realistic. You’ve got to put things in perspective as well.
“It’s not going to happen in a blink of an eye; it’s not going to happen overnight. Success does take time, and we don't like having to spend time, but it does take a period to build.
“We showed a quick response and improved a lot last season, and it shows what is possible. But again, sustaining it is the key. Consistency is the key. There’s no other way of doing it. There are no shortcuts to it. In the end, that’s where you get to, but it’s possible.”
That consistency has gone this season with bad result after result, but beating Roma 3-2, having been 2-0 down, helped and The National asked him how that win had affected his team.
“It’s obviously a positive reaction, but it’s not like all of a sudden we’re getting carried away,” said Carrick. “I have seen enough from the players. I know what we’re capable of. We’ve proved it over time. We’ve just not proved it enough lately, but we know it’s there.
“The boys have trained really well,” he added, not for the first time. “I’m not just saying that for the sake of saying it. If we weren’t, I’d say it. We’ve just got to get more of the moments that we've had, the halves of football and maybe a bit more the other night. We’ve got to keep building on that, but it’s there”.
Fans are circumspect. The idea of Carrick being a success appeals, yet there’s the reality of what they see with their own eyes – and it’s not good enough. Not that it’s on one man and United’s issues are long standing.
United’s vast fan base is not. Online, arguments rage between fans who don’t go to games telling fans who do not to attend or walk out of matches in protest mostly at the unpopular Glazer family who took control of the club in a controversial and highly leveraged buyout in 21 years ago.
Fans threw tennis balls on to the pitch in the 21st minute against Roma. Three were arrested and, if charged, could be subjected to banning orders from attending football matches. Before that, fans let off 4,000 green and yellow balloons and sang against the American owners.
Not that the current main decision makers Ineos, led by Jim Ratcliffe, are popular. One win in nine league games has led to any goodwill towards them plummeting, with fans unconvinced and critical of the summer transfer window. Further protests are planned on Sunday.
Given the squad, United overachieved last season and are underachieving this. The debt-laden giant is financially constrained and unable to buy top targets in a market which ran away from them in the summer. Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, Morgan Rogers and Mateus Fernandes were all targets. All went to clubs prepared to pay more for them.
There’s also serious mitigation given the injuries. United tried to sign left backs, most notably Lewis Hall at Newcastle United, but didn’t. That became a much bigger issue when Luke Shaw, who played all 38 league games at left back last term, picked up more of the injuries that have blighted his United career.
Shaw’s started only five of United’s 14 games so far. Of the other defenders, Lisandro Martinez has made too many mistakes, Noussair Mazraoui hasn’t found the form of his first season and Diogo Dalot is a fan scapegoat.
Martinez is banned for the Villa game having been sent-off in last weekend's loss at Chelsea and Shaw is not fit. United will also be missing Carlos Baleba, the new midfielder who went off injured midweek. Carrick said he will be out for “a number of weeks.”
Up front is also an issue. In prioritising midfield, United didn’t bring in a backup striker to the injured Benjamin Sesko. Former player, Mancunian and United fan Daniel Welbeck, 36 this month, was of interest but wanted a two-year contract and United were reluctant to go beyond one and pay a £5 million transfer fee for a player of his age.
Chelsea broke their own rules in paying a fee for a player over 25 and giving him a two-year contract. United are likely to go to market for a striker – most likely on loan – in the January window.
Sunday’s opponents Villa were defeated 3-0 midweek in Barcelona and sit 10th in the Premier League, having won three, drawn three and lost three of the games. United have a strong record at home to Villa, even in modern times.
Back in ’86, Villa were one of the few teams who United had a better record against over the two games. Villa went down that year for the first time since 1974-75.
That was when they came second in the second tier … behind a Manchester United side who’ve not played second division football since. United’s form must improve to make sure they don’t suffer a similar fate next season.
