Top News

Manchester United were left stunned by an incorrect VAR decision that allowed Erling Haaland’s winning goal to stand in the Manchester derby at the weekend.

Michael Carrick has wanted to become Manchester United head coach from the moment he played his 464th and final match for the club, aged 36, in 2018 and then moved into coaching.

Knowing Carrick’s ambition to go into management, Manchester United’s then manager Jose Mourinho handed him a whistle and gave him duties on the training ground. Now that he is actually in charge, this is far more than just a job for Carrick.

He feels the responsibility intensely, which is why defeat in the Manchester derby, the way the game was lost and the outcome itself will have hurt him deeply.

Carrick is naturally calm and controlled, a highly measured figure, much like the intelligent style with which he played. Yet his pain was easy to read in every interview he gave afterwards. It showed in his eyes, in his voice and in the substance of what he said. His frustration and anger were clear at VAR’s failure to judge that Enzo Fernandez was affecting Lisandro Martinez and Senne Lammens and was therefore offside.

“If that's the interpretation of not interfering in the game now, that's really worrying for me,” Carrick told the BBC. “It's a staggering explanation.” Manchester United later received an apology from Pro Ref acknowledging that the officials had made the wrong call. VAR let him down.

What Carrick said after that, though, also deserves closer examination. “The decision isn't going to change the season, but it's had a major impact on the game,” he said. There are two points here. First, on the idea that it “could change the season”. It can. It adds to the doubt building around Carrick this early in the campaign. He had earned the job after guiding the club back into the Champions League. For owners, that will always be the first objective of a season because of the £100m incentive attached to it.

Carrick also landed the role partly because there were no heavyweight alternatives available. Possible candidates such as Julian Nagelsmann did little to improve their standing at the World Cup.

Some perspective is needed, along with patience. Among the new managers at the bigger Premier League clubs, Enzo Maresca inherited a far stronger squad than Carrick, so life was always likely to be smoother for the new City boss; Xabi Alonso has a defence to fix at Chelsea; and Andoni Iraola is still taking time to get his ideas across at Liverpool.

Roberto De Zerbi did well to keep Tottenham Hotspur up last season, but they are now struggling in 17th despite spending £344m. Unai Emery is trying to rebuild 19th-placed Aston Villa, who have one point from four matches; scrutiny is growing on Emery because these are, for the most part, his signings.

All of these are strong managers and all deserve time. The increasingly frantic news cycle and constant appetite for headline-grabbing content do not help.

There should be an appetite to back a home-grown coach like Carrick, and for full transparency, I helped him write his 2018 book. I know how deeply he genuinely cares about his club, the staff, the players and the supporters. But Carrick should still be examined properly. He referred, secondly, to the goal having a “major impact” on the game, yet the bigger factor was United’s inability to make their extra man count after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.

There has to be sympathy for Carrick over the City goal and over the club’s failure to provide him with the defenders he needs, especially full-backs. Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu are simply not good enough. Their weaknesses, including not clearing their lines properly, had a “major impact” on the game. But Carrick’s in-game management also fell short. He cannot be blamed for Bryan Mbeumo missing a very presentable late chance, but Carrick was tactically outmanoeuvred by Maresca, whose substitutions were much smarter and much more effective. Iliman Ndiaye came on for Rayan Cherki at half-time and, together with Antoine Semenyo, stayed high up the pitch and stretched United. Maresca’s bold approach brought rewards.

Strangely, Carrick then waited 45 minutes after Foden’s dismissal before trying to sharpen his attack with Benjamin Sesko. Up to that point, he had stuck with Matheus Cunha as a false 9. Sesko came on for Youri Tielemans, leaving the No. 10 area crowded with Cunha and Bruno Fernandes, although Fernandes did drop a little deeper. Why not preserve the balance and take off Cunha instead of Tielemans?

If Carrick had doubts over Sesko’s sharpness or over his level, he could simply have swapped Marcus Rashford and Cunha. That would have posed City a different problem. Rashford’s pace could have been unleashed through the middle. Cunha, meanwhile, is also comfortable in that left-sided No. 10 role, even if he plays it more tucked in than Rashford.

The sight of Foden going off so early at Old Trafford should have been the cue to go for the throat. It was the moment to seize control, to push even harder for victory. Attack, attack, attack. Secure a psychologically significant win, one important not only for local bragging rights but also for clearing some of the clouds forming over United’s unconvincing start to the season. Only Kobbie Mainoo truly stepped up to that challenge. Carrick did not do enough. He can reflect and learn from it. But it is also far too early in the season for knee-jerk reactions. Like other managers, Carrick deserves time.