Manchester United’s draw against Sunderland is another important reminder of the difference in mentality between Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
The Ruben Amorim era officially came to an end back in January after the 41-year-old former Manchester United manager was sacked by the Red Devils.
However, Amorim’s absence from Old Trafford is a distant memory after the major turnaround in form for the Red Devils under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
United legend Carrick has shown how poor Amorim’s Red Devils reign was at Old Trafford and the Sunderland match reinforces the difference between the pair.
Michael Carrick’s reaction to Man Utd’s draw with Sunderland spoke volumes about grinding out a key result
Manchester United defeated Sunderland 2-0 at Old Trafford last October during Ruben Amorim’s time in charge at the Premier League club.
Fast-forward to last Saturday afternoon and the Red Devils visited the Stadium of Light for Man Utd’s latest Premier League encounter with Sunderland.
Michael Carrick might not have overseen a United win against Sunderland as Amorim did, but the interim head coach was authentic with his verdict about the tie.
Speaking after Man Utd’s 0-0 draw with Sunderland, the 44-year-old Red Devils interim boss insisted that a point and a clean sheet would be “okay” in his books.
“It was a tough game,” Carrick said, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“Credit to Sunderland, we knew it’d be tough coming here anyway. We were a bit too deep at times and [weren’t] at our best.
“But to take something from a game when you’re not at your best, that is a good trait [that] we’re trying to build as well.
“There were obviously changes; sometimes we were trying to find our rhythm a little bit.
“I still quite liked a lot of the things that give us a foundation to play better at certain times. To take a point and a clean sheet is okay.”
Michael Carrick’s optics on the Sunderland result show the shortcomings of Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd reign
The Man Utd performance at the Stadium of Light left much to be desired, but Carrick ensured that the Red Devils did not walk away empty-handed on the day.
United remain six points clear of fourth-place Liverpool and fifth-place Aston Villa instead of dropping to five after the two Premier League sides drew at the weekend.
Sure, a win over Sunderland would have ensured the Red Devils a third-place finish in hindsight, but it was not enough reason to risk it all for a victory on Saturday.
United only need one point from their final two Premier League matches to ensure a third-place finish and Carrick simply grinded out an away result at the weekend.
The Amorim reign was filled with one extreme to the next, whether blowing a lead over a Premier League team or simply being unable to lock down a clean sheet.
However, the Stadium of Light visit felt like a more measured Man Utd approach from Carrick and Co and avoided an unnecessary headache of dropping points.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/Ng76d1f