Peter Schmeichel’s post-match reaction to Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea proves why Michael Carrick should have his shot as the club’s next permanent manager.
Michael Carrick was feeling the pressure ever so slightly for the Stamford Bridge visit after Manchester United’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to Leeds United last week.
Leeds derailed Man Utd’s top-four momentum and big question marks were raised around Carrick’s ability to bounce back for the huge showdown with Chelsea.
However, United overcame Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening and the Red Devils walked away with an important three Premier League points on the night.
Peter Schmeichel’s mixed response to the Man Utd and Chelsea match shows the uphill battle Michael Carrick faced
Chelsea were dominant against Manchester United in the first half, but it was the Red Devils who made the major impact after Matheus Cunha’s opener on Saturday.
Matheus Cunha’s opener later became the United winner at Stamford Bridge, but that was amid Michael Carrick’s big test on the night as interim head coach.
Carrick had to experiment with a makeshift partnership between Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven and the Man Utd duo even managed to keep a clean sheet.
The Red Devils kept their nerve after their surprising setback against Leeds United and Man Utd are once again in the driving seat to secure a top-four finish.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, Red Devils legend Peter Schmeichel said: “I would have settled for a draw.
“It was a strange game; I don’t think Manchester United played particularly well; I don’t think Chelsea played particularly well.
“To come away with a 1-0 win, a clean sheet when all the nervousness was about the back four, it was a great team performance.
“It was by no means entertaining, but I’ll take a 1-0 win and the table makes me so happy.”
Peter Schmeichel’s verdict needs to be looked at in the wider picture of Michael Carrick’s interim Man Utd reign
Rewind from the Chelsea win to the Leeds match and Carrick came under criticism for how late he turned to his bench when Man Utd were chasing the scoreline.
However, the Blues encounter showed that the 44-year-old interim Red Devils head coach nailed his tactics in a pragmatic approach amid injuries and suspensions.
It might not have been a ‘pretty’ result, but a win is a win and Carrick showed the flexibility that Ruben Amorim previously lacked as United manager at Old Trafford.
Not every match needs to be elegant and the focus should be on getting knuckle deep in the trenches and grinding out an important winning outcome on the day.
Just when Carrick has been questioned over his ability to be United manager, the Red Devils legend seems to pull a rabbit out of the hat and defies all expectations.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/vywG2QV