As Michael Carrick walked into the dressing room at Stamford Bridge to deliver his half-time team talk, he expected to see Cristiano Ronaldo among those in the audience. Instead, the player brought back to Manchester United to bring back their glory days was on the pitch warming up.
Being sat on the bench is no place to be for the five-time Ballon D’Or winner. After kicking his heels for 45 minutes he made it clear he was ready to make an impact on the game, which Carrick saw as a best way to being among the substitutes.
“The way he responded was perfection really,” said Carrick. “Around the dressing room he was incredible, he supported the players. I went in to do my half-time team talk and he was warming up 10 minutes in advance, ready to come on in the second half.”
It has now been two matches, both unbeaten, for Carrick as caretaker manager and both have seen him make big calls with team selection and his two most creative players. For the victory against Villarreal, it was Bruno Fernandes on the bench. At Chelsea it was Ronaldo.
Carrick says they can adapt to play in the same team but so far he has chosen between United’s best player in the last two years, or their most famous one, who supporters come to see.
So far the team selection has worked. With either Ronaldo or Bruno on the bench in the first, United have gone into the interval goalless after keeping it tighter than the last days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign. In the second halves they have unleashed their two Portuguese attackers and snatched goals, and results.
Next for Carrick to ponder is Arsenal on Thursday, against Mikel Arteta’s young attackers who have the ability to pounce on errors and attack with pace, just as much as they are susceptible to being overrun by an attack with Ronaldo and Bruno combining.
Carrick describes his two results as showing “another side” to United’s game, implying a solidity that comes with an eye on defensive duties. Bruno’s best work has been as a No10, while Ronaldo is economising his movement as United’s No9.
