Ruben Amorim congratulates David Moyes after Manchester United’s defeat to Everton(Image: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
“We are trying to be our best,” was the message from Manchester United interim head coach Michael Carrick ahead of Monday’s trip to Everton. “We have things to improve on but we have a good base and foundation moving forward, a good spirit and we will draw on pretty much all of that on Monday night.”
Carrick’s return to Old Trafford has been overwhelmingly positive so far. The victories over Manchester City and Arsenal were unexpected, against Fulham his team showed the grit and determination needed to grind out a result and the win over Tottenham was another step in the right direction.
The draw last time out against West Ham was a bump in the road. United were not at their best and were frustrated by a side happy to sit back and hit them on the counter. If not for the heroics of Benjamin Sesko, the unbeaten run would have been over.
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But while the draw at the London Stadium was disappointing compared to the previous four games, it was nowhere near as bad as the loss to Everton back in November. It is understood the defeat to the ten-man Toffees was a contributing factor in the decision to sack Ruben Amorim in January.
David Moyes’ team did not need to do much to win that night. Once down to ten men, they were rigid, compact and pushed the onus onto United. Good teams would have seen that as a gift but United’s response was abject. They were slow in possession, wasteful with their build-up play and were punished for it.
Moyes received credit for the victory but United were the ones who presented it to him. As they head to the Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time, Carrick knows this game will be a huge test of his credentials.
There is confidence the interim head coach can do what his predecessor couldn’t. United have shown, albeit against more attacking opponents, they can stretch defences.
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The way they went from defence to attack against City was sensational. And while United are likely to have more of the ball against Everton, Carrick must show this team can keep that positivity in their play.
A key failing against Everton at Old Trafford was United’s slow use of the ball. They became too predictable and played into Moyes’ hands.
Since returning to United, Carrick has spoken a lot about knowing what it means to play for this club. That has been evidenced in most of the performances.
But this is another test in the interview process for the permanent role at Old Trafford. Carrick has a golden opportunity to show Ineos he can lead this team to good results with positive play against defensive set-ups. Moyes’ pre-match message will be simple: same again.
He will set Everton to play on the counter and catch United. If they keep 11 men on the pitch, they will show more attacking intent.
From Carrick’s perspective, he will hope his team have learnt their lesson from that November defeat. If they have, he will be another step closer to proving he is a viable option for the permanent job.
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