da dobrowin： I feel like I have to get this off my chest, regarding Michael Carrick and the reaction of some (notably those in the media) after the England v Mexico game this past Monday.
da 888casino： I won’t be defending his performance, as I agree it wasn’t the best but I believe some perspective has been lost – sadly this is the world we live in where knee-jerkism (is this a word) rules.
To start with, what did we expect of a James Milner and Carrick central midfield partnership, seriously, never been tried before and never will.
Tactically it wasn’t going to work, given it was a friendly Capello had ever right to give it a go, he now knows not to again – unless injuries or suspensions force his hand.
We also don’t know the instructions Capello gave to Carrick, sometimes it’s easy to judge a game without knowing such fine details.
Being the more defensive of the two maybe he was told to not over commit and try and close down more often, something he was lacking in clearly.
We mustn’t forget the opposition have been playing together more recently, against England it was Mexico’s 5th game in preparation for the World Cup.
I must be the only one, as the game progressed, despite the wave of possession from the Mexicans, Carrick understood his role.
An early sloppy pass, contributed to nerves, with Andy Townsend on commentary ramming it home.
Another bemusement of mines is Steven Gerrard playing from the left, really? Then again I’m not getting paid millions of pounds and with a CV spanning 20 years of top management.
Why couldn’t Capello have tried a Gerrard – Carrick partnership in the second half, when Gerrard moved into the middle?
In the game itself Carrick’s positioning wasn’t as bad as what was made out of, he’s not a tackler, never has been so that obsession needs to end.
His distribution, his strongest asset wasn’t firing this and his other game could be explained by a severe lack in confidence.
The fall guy for Man United’s exit in the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich, yes he was beaten easily by Ivica Olic, but where was the Man Utd defence?
Only two games since then and both as subs, not the best off forms is it.
His season started slowly, with injury, picked up forming a solid partnership with Darren Fletcher, but then tailed off.
Have we already forgotten his performance against Arsenal at the Emirates this season?
And what about his second half performance against Egypt?
Something that is said often enough becomes the truth, many cite the Champions League final in Rome as Carrick’s fall from grace.
Prior to that game, Xavi Hernandez labelled Carrick as the ‘complete midfielder’, highly rated amongst his peers, his compatriot and former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso had said Carrick would be a useful player for England.
After the final Pep Guardiola had highlighted, despite what the media was saying, Carrick as one of three Man Utd players he felt were playing well and how important it was to deny him the ball.
Either Pep isn’t on the same page as what the press would like you to think or I must be lost in translation.
They say he’s not his former self, but his former self wasn’t even getting a look in for England, during which he was dubbed ‘un magnifico Carrick’ by the Italian press, which makes it even stranger at his lowest ebb he’s in the England team.
There has been in the past comments made that Carrick is more appreciated on the continent because he’s not your ‘typical English player’ – which is another debate, to what constitutes your ‘typical English player’, for another time.
Wearing the number 16 shirt for Man Utd, worn with distinction by legendary skipper Roy Keane and we assume him to be a similar player, well he’s not.
Keane a box-to-box midfielder extraordinaire is a one-off, get over it. Carrick operates as a deep-lying playmaker, definitely not a defensive-midfielder – even though his inability to make attacking forward runs leaves him starting attacks from deep and a shield to the back four.
It’s clear he’s a good player, but maybe the question is, does he suit England’s game?
If England play a 4-3-3 I can see him slotting in, but I believe Capello will continue with his 4-4-2, which I’m not the biggest fan of.
Capello knows what Carrick can offer, if he fundamentally believes that Carrick will be no use to him then he has ever right to leave him out of the 23.
But with Barry in a race against time to be fit, he will be the more senior ‘defensive-minded’ player at his disposal and I expect him to go to South Africa, whether or not if Barry does not make it he will start is another question.
Written By Mohamed Moallim