How will Manchester United cope without Michael Carrick?

Michael Carrick – United’s midfield maestro

The news of Michael Carrick being sidelined for 4-6 weeks comes at a crucial juncture for Manchester United. There is no right time to get injured, but just when David Moyes’ troops look likely to carry a sustained charge to the Premier League summit, the injury to Carrick has not helped their cause.

Michael Carrick has been United’s midfield linchpin for 7 years now after joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006. Donning on the number 16 jersey he has successfully replaced former great Roy Keane in-spite having a very different playing-style. Aggression has never been a trait of his game. One would hardly see him going into a bone-crunching tackle or reacting to any player when tackled. Nonetheless, Carrick has been equally effective as United’s former captain, with his immaculate technique and laser-guided passes. He is an astute reader of the game; an evolved version of a combative-defensive-midfielder where his positional sense helps him to be at the right place at the right time to make interceptions and tackle whenever necessary.

Over the years he has turned into a deep-lying playmaker of the highest quality. Shielding the defense or initiating United attacks from the back, Carrick has been invaluable to his side. Such is his composure on the ball that Arsene Wenger deemed him good enough to be a part of the Barcelona team. The conspicuousness of having no player of such mold in the current Manchester United squad is alarming. There are 11 games which Carrick will miss till the end of December. For present day United every game is crucial and equally unpredictable. So, how do Manchester United cope with this untimely loss?

Marouane Fellaini:

The big Belgian has done little to justify the hefty price tag of 27.5 million £ on him. He has looked rusty and off the pace. A red card against Champions’ league minnows Real Sociedad does not inspire confidence.

Having played just six games so far and also carrying a wrist injury it would be harsh to judge him as a failure. It’s too early to make such a call. Fellaini has got a big opportunity to impress his boss and show the fans that he has the ability to add value to this United team. He had made a name for himself at Standard Liege as a box-to-box midfielder also winning the Ebony Shoe award before joining Everton. He was also named Everton’s young player of the season 2008-09 scoring vital goals for them against stronger sides,and also being a constant thorn whenever played against United. He had been second to none in winning tackles, aerial duels and attempting passes during his Everton days but he needs to replicate that form during this crucial period to win over the fans.

Stats suggest that Fellaini’s pass completion rate this season has been better than Carrick’s but Carrick has played more games than the Belgian. But a nondescript performance against City and a few other non-influential shifts against lesser sides have left a lot to be desired. With the stakes being a lot higher than his Everton days Fellaini needs to upgrade his performances to serve United in any way.

Tom Cleverley:

The 24-year-old English midfielder has never set the stage alight since his initial performances for the club. Despite being more mobile than Fellaini and Carrick, Cleverley lacks any sort of ambition in his game. Most of his passing is sideways with hardly any incisive attempts forward. Even though mobile,he hardly takes on his man and never tries any driving runs towards the opposition box which compatriot Phil Jones is so capable off. But Moyes has shown trust in him by playing him instead of Fellaini in the Arsenal game after Jones was switched to center-back position owing to Vidic’s injury. Cleverley has also started against Fulham and Norwich City. He needs to improve his game if he has to cement his Manchester United future. He has the ability to link up with forward players, very much in view during his early days at United, but he has gone very conservative since then. Although not as physically imposing as rest of his colleagues his dynamism can make up for it.

Ryan Giggs:

Ryan Giggs

To be considering his name is miraculous and a tribute to his longevity. Ryan Giggs is nearly 40 now and can still do a job for United. No longer a winger Giggs has slotted into the central midfield seamlessly. His ability to perform remains as proved by Sir Alex Ferguson, who started him against Real Madrid at Old Trafford last season. He might not be as consistent as before but Giggs has the ability to patrol the midfield and dictate play from the deep. His enormous experience adds up to his composure and possessing at least one lethal long-ball in his locker all the time, Giggs seems the most creative amongst the personnel United have to play in the Michael Carrick role. At an age of 40, asking him to play every other game is too much of an ask.

Others:

Phil Jones is another candidate to slot in for Carrick but he is more of a midfield destroyer than a playmaker. His effectiveness comes into picture when United play a superior midfield that are expected to have more possession and control. His robustness, physicality and aggression make him the only combative-midfielder United have in their ranks at the moment. But he has publicly stated that he wants to specialize in the centre-back role,and with Vidic and Ferdinand partnership broken he would try to make it his own.

If Moyes thinks radically he might ask Wayne Rooney to play from the deep. His being positioned there can allow Shinji Kagawa to slot in the no-10 role. But that’s a long shot from happening given the form which Rooney has shown playing from his favored striker position. Even Shinji Kagawa might be an outside candidate to dictate play from the deep. Given his technical ability and composure on the ball, he can combine well with the attack and have Jones, Fellaini or Cleverley as a partner.

Incase Moyes chooses Kagawa in that role, there is every possibility of Adnan Januzaj starting on the left. That would make the United side look very attacking on the paper at least. But Kagawa’s light-build and a lack of innate defensive nature makes it highly unlikely for him to be considered filling in for Carrick.

The unwanted scenario of playing without Michael Carrick leaves David Moyes and Manchester United in a fix. With the midfield looking as brittle as before and in the absence of one of their most influential yet underrated player,Moyes has to extract the maximum from his available midfield personnel. Being a Manchester United manager he wouldn’t want to fall back on an excuse of a player’s injury impacting the team’s progress towards the top of the table.