TACTICAL BREAKDOWN: HOW MICHAEL CARRICK BEAT PEP GUARDIOLA WITH ONLY THIRTY PERCENT POSSESSION
Michael Carrick proves his tactical genius. Discover how Manchester United beat City with a shock low-possession game plan today.
Heading into the Manchester derby, everyone was talking about Michael Carrick—what kind of football would he bring to Old Trafford? He’d only managed United for three games as an interim back in 2021, and honestly, there wasn’t much to learn from that short spell.
Pep Guardiola said it pretty bluntly before the match: “If you don’t have much info on the opponent, you just focus on your own team.” Sure, you could look at what Carrick did at Middlesbrough or even those few games at United, but Pep pointed out that tactics come down to the players you’ve actually got on the pitch. And these United players are nothing like the ones Carrick had at Boro.
If Guardiola tried to read too much into Carrick’s time in the northeast, he’d be barking up the wrong tree. Yes, United lined up in the same 4-2-3-1 shape Carrick used at Boro, but the actual style? Completely different.
At Middlesbrough, Carrick’s team always wanted the ball. Against City, United were happy to let their rivals dominate possession. They knew they could defend when it really mattered. United ended up with just 32% possession—something you’d never expect from a Carrick side.
But that’s exactly what United needed. After the match, Bernardo Silva even admitted it: United “took the game to where they are good.” It worked, and honestly, not many saw that coming.
Not long ago, United felt stuck with managers who refused to adapt. Ruben Amorim, for instance, would’ve stuck with his 3-4-2-1 until it either worked or he got the sack.
Carrick’s different. You can already see it in how he uses his players. Take Kobbie Mainoo: after Carrick got the job, people dug up his old comments about the youngster—how he’s more of an attacker, not really a holding midfielder, needs a bit more freedom, and probably shouldn’t play too close to the centre-backs.
With that in mind, you’d think Mainoo would play further forward. Yet, there he was, next to Casemiro in central midfield for the full 90 minutes—and it worked like a charm.
Having a coach who’s willing to tweak his ideas, even if he’s only there short-term, is a huge plus for United. It keeps them unpredictable, and that’s going to make life a lot harder for anyone who tries to plan against them.
WHY NO FINE? DISCOVER WHY THE GREEK COURT SCRAPPED MAGUIRE'S FINANCIAL PENALTY THIS WEEK
Harry Maguire’s retrial is over! Read about the 15-month suspended sentence, the Supreme Court appeal, and the Mykonos backstory.
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been found guilty of non-serious assault in Greece and given a 15-month suspended jail sentence, down from the original 21 months after a retrial. This all goes back to 2020, when police arrested him while he was on holiday in Mykonos with family and friends.
The legal process dragged on for years. Maguire’s retrial finally happened on Wednesday, after four delays. He’s still fighting accusations of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and attempted bribery from that night. Greek law meant his conviction got quashed automatically on appeal, so that’s why there was a retrial. Maguire skipped the hearing; he was busy preparing for United’s game against Newcastle. On top of the shorter sentence, he doesn’t have to pay a fine anymore.
All this started in the summer break between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, just a year after Maguire joined United for a then-record £80 million. He was the club captain and a regular for England.
Right after his arrest, Maguire told the BBC how he thought he was getting kidnapped. He said plain-clothes police pulled over his group’s minibus, yanked him off, hit him on the legs, and shouted that his career was finished. “They hit me a lot on the legs. It wasn’t on my mind. I was in that much of a panic. Fear. Scared for my life,” he said. Maguire tried to run off with one handcuff still on, not knowing who these men were. He also said, “I don’t feel I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something you do when you have done something wrong. I don’t wish it on anybody. Obviously, the situation has made it difficult for one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I regret putting the fans and the club through this, but I did nothing wrong. I found myself in a situation where it could have happened to anybody, anywhere.”
That first trial in 2020 caught him off guard. “It was horrible. It was such a quick turnaround; it was incredible. We got the pages for the transcript for the court the evening before. A big document, all in Greek. I hardly had any chance to speak to my lawyer. We were confident the case would be adjourned to give us more time to prepare and get the witnesses and the evidence that we have. For it all happened so quickly... we obviously didn’t expect the trial to go ahead,” he said.
Now, just ahead of his 33rd birthday, Maguire still refuses to settle the case with money. He wants to clear his name in court. He plans to appeal to the Supreme Court if he wins and the judgment gets thrown out.
CONTRACTUAL LIFELINE: UNEARTHING THE STRATEGY BEHIND ANDRE ONANA’S RETURN FROM TURKISH LOAN SPELL
Onana vs Lammens: Get the latest on the £44M keeper’s return from Turkey and why Michael Carrick values "reliability over chaos."
Andre Onana isn’t giving up on his Manchester United career, even with his replacement grabbing the spotlight while he’s away on loan. Right now, Onana’s spending the 2025/26 season with Trabzonspor in Turkey, while Senne Lammens has stepped up as United’s new first-choice keeper.
United signed Lammens from Royal Antwerp for £18 million on deadline day last September, and soon after, Onana was shipped out on loan. There’s no option for Trabzonspor to buy him, so Onana will be back at United this summer. He’s already played 72 games for the club.
Onana has turned out 20 times for Trabzonspor, but honestly, United probably aren’t paying much attention. Lammens has looked rock-solid in goal, holding down the spot for 21 straight matches, no matter if Amorim, Darren Fletcher, or Michael Carrick was in charge.
So far, Lammens has five clean sheets and is anchoring a defence that’s clearly improving under Carrick. Altay Bayindir is backing him up, and Tom Heaton is still kicking around in the goalkeeping group.
When United first bought Onana for £44 million from Inter Milan, he was reuniting with Erik ten Hag, his old Ajax boss. He’s still got two years left on his contract. According to Geremi Onana’s friend and a former Cameroon and Chelsea player, Onana hasn’t lost hope of turning things around.
“Listen, I know Andre very well, and there were a lot of issues at United during his time there,” Geremi told Telecom Asia. “It wasn’t all on him. But with Michael Carrick coming in, things are looking up for everyone, including Andre.
“He’s got real talent, and players like him don’t come around often. The next step is for him to go back and fight for his spot. Andre always rises to a challenge. Give him a fair shot, and he’ll show you what he can do.”
We’ll find out what’s next for Onana this summer. United are planning big changes, including a new permanent manager. Carrick is one of the names in the running.
If Carrick gets the job, Onana’s chances might take a hit, since the interim boss is thrilled with Lammens. After Lammens’ man-of-the-match showing in the 1-0 win over Everton, Carrick said, “For me, a keeper needs to be reliable, someone who calms things down, not adds to the chaos. Senne does exactly that.
“He’s quiet and maybe a bit unassuming, but he’s got real steel in him. Stepping in as United’s keeper is a big ask, and not everyone handles it. Sometimes it takes a while to settle, sometimes not. The way he’s handled it so far, he’s calm and composed, and that’s made a huge difference for the defence.”
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