Carrick's Dream Start at Man Utd Faces Its Ultimate Challenge as Pressure Mounts

It would be fair to say that circumstances at Manchester United couldn't be much more positive for Michael Carrick.

The temporary manager has guided the team to two massive wins in his opening pair of matches, defeating Manchester City in the local rivalry before damaging Arsenal's Premier League championship hopes with a memorable victory away from home.

Combined with his temporary management period from 2021, when he secured victories against Arsenal and Villarreal alongside a stalemate with Chelsea, it's clear why numerous voices are advocating for Carrick to receive the permanent position at season's end.

Such an important choice won't be determined based on such limited evidence, though. Carrick possesses considerable goodwill, but if he aims to secure the full-time United role, February's approaching matches might prove more crucial than any victory against City or Arsenal.

How Carrick Has Turned Things Around for Man Utd

How Carrick Has Transformed Man Utd's Fortunes

After Ruben Amorim's exit in early January, United's choice to seek an interim manager rather than a permanent successor indicated they merely wanted someone to stabilize the situation.

Carrick abandoned Amorim's ineffective 3-4-2-1 approach, returning to a 4-2-3-1 system that seems to maximize the current roster's potential, while providing a subtle reminder of what representing United truly entails.

Squad members have been given authority and are performing with assurance for the first time in more than two years. They might have reached double digits against City and demonstrated the tactical awareness required to overcome an Arsenal team at the forefront in both domestic and continental competition.

Naturally, the enthusiasm has sparked demands for Carrick to receive the permanent appointment. Decision-makers at Old Trafford will have observed this, but his showing in those prominent matches won't determine Carrick's destiny.

Ruben Amorim's Record vs. Big Six Rivals

Ruben Amorim's Performance Against Top Six Opposition

A major critique of Amorim's United was their unpredictability. You could typically observe the blueprint, the manner Amorim genuinely wanted his team to operate, only when they confronted top-tier opposition.

The statistics demonstrate that Amorim's United could compete at the highest level. Maintaining a positive record against Liverpool, drawing even with both Man City and Chelsea, and only narrowly losing to Arsenal represents a considerable achievement for the Portuguese manager, who has legitimate grounds to believe he deserved better results against the Gunners following a commanding opening weekend display.

Yet, these matches didn't characterize Amorim's time in charge. It was the inability to overcome West Ham United, Brentford, Nottingham Forest or Bournemouth. It was suffering two losses and one draw across four encounters with Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was struggling against Fulham, Everton, Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Amorim's United excelled when playing the underdog role. Nevertheless, as favorites, they were an extremely inconsistent team who seldom missed an opportunity to surrender their status as the expected winners of three points.

Carrick's team consists of the same group of players who experienced those disappointing outcomes—plus Kobbie Mainoo's return from exile. They have already demonstrated their capability in those major matches during Amorim's period. Now comes the moment to discover what, if anything, has transformed.

Man Utd's Next Five Fixtures After Arsenal Win

Man Utd's Upcoming Five Matches Following Arsenal Victory

Considering both club reputation and the warranted praise for their recent improvement, United will enter each of their next five matches as favorites.

Initially comes a home fixture against Fulham. Marco Silva's team enters the contest four points behind United in seventh position, having clearly shown their capacity to remain in European contention—a 2–2 stalemate with Liverpool and 2–1 victory over Chelsea demonstrate this.

An intriguing clash with Tottenham Hotspur follows on the calendar. Amorim never defeated Spurs, losing three of his four encounters, including the Europa League final, but Thomas Frank's side are in complete turmoil. Sitting 14th in the table and still seeking their first Premier League victory of the calendar year, Carrick should manage what his predecessor couldn't and secure three points.

Relegation-battling West Ham welcome United on Feb. 10, before a helpful break will provide Carrick 13 days to prepare for Everton and David Moyes, who represented the benchmark for poor United managers before Amorim's arrival.

March opens with an encounter against Crystal Palace. The Eagles represent another team facing difficulties, having lost captain Marc Guéhi and witnessed manager Oliver Glasner, a primary target for United, announce his departure at season's conclusion.

Should Carrick handle these fixtures with the same effectiveness as his opening two matches, then it might be appropriate to begin serious discussions. The interim manager has clearly created an instant impact but, while he merits substantial recognition for that, has not yet revealed anything we didn't already understand about this United team.

United's pursuit of a permanent manager won't have decelerated yet, but a solid points return throughout February could make Carrick's argument difficult to dismiss.