Tweet
by Gareth Maher, 02 April 2008 Setanta Sports
It seems quite odd that Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick does not get the type of praise that he deserves.
The 26-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, yet he doesn't always make England squads and certainly does not enjoy the type of fanfare that other central midfielders do - even those at his own club get more compliments.
When he graduated through the West Ham United academy, he was fast-tracked into the first-team as it was quite clear to the coaching staff there that they had a special young player at their disposal.
He went on to play over one hundred times for The Hammers before moving across London to join Tottenham Hotspur, where he started to mature into a midfielder that could dictate the tempo of a game and link defence with attack by enforcing an effective passing style.
In 2006, Manchester United spent big to bring him to Old Trafford and many gasps were heard when people heard the price paid for someone that they considered to be an 'ordinary' player. But Sir Alex Ferguson was convinced of his quality and was looking for a long-term replacement for Roy Keane, who had recently left the club.
While Carrick will probably never reach the heights that Keane soared at as a player (even if he does wear the same number sixteen squad number), he has become a key component to the Red Devils machine and is getting better all of the time. Perhaps the arrival of both Owen Hargreaves and Anderson this season has brought the best out in him.
Some argue that Hargreaves is a far better player than Carrick, but they are different types of midfielders and offer something contrasting when given the nod to start. Even though Carrick has played more times this season - mainly due to Hargreaves' injury problems - it is interesting to look at how their stats over the course of the current campaign read.
Carrick v Hargreaves
Both players have scored one goal and have one assist each, and their rate of pass completion is quite similar along with tackles won. Carrick stands out with his dribbling at 79% to Hargreaves' 60%, but sometimes the influence that a player has on the pitch cannot be recorded on a stats sheet. Hargreaves is a physical presence in the middle and is prone to lift those around him, while Carrick is much more of a link player who picks key passes out and makes supporting runs. So neither player stands out as better than the other (statistically or otherwise), but Hargreaves definitely gets more praise for his performances.
Carrick + Another Midfielder
Carrick is not immune to Ferguson's rotation system, and has played alongside several midfield partners this season. Just like Hargreaves, the other midfielders in question offer something a little different so a balance is usually struck when a central midfield pairing is selected. However, some partnerships clearly work better than others even if few of them have been enough games to gel and prove they can work as a duo.
Player-Matches WithCarrick-Wins-Losses-Draws-GF-GA
Anderson-5-5-0-0-16-2-
Fletcher-2-2-0-0-9-1-
Hargraves-4-2-2-0-3-2
Scholes-10-7-1-2-15-2
Carrick v Barry While his club career has gone from strength to strength, Carrick still remains on the fringes of the England set-up. It will be curious to see if he will feature in Fabio Capello's plans for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but he will have to displace Aston Villa's Gareth Barry if he is to claim a midfield slot for The Three Lions. Barry has played in the Premier League more this term, but is not too far ahead of Carrick in terms of overall match statistics.
Player - Carrick - Barry
Appearances-25-31
Goals-1-5
Shots On Target-5-7
Shots Off Target-9-12
Shooting Accuracy-36%-37%
Assists-1-5
Total Passes-1,228-1,223
Pass Completion-83%-75%
Tackles Made-73-90
Tackles Won-82%-82%
Blocks-7-11
Clearances-52-71
Interceptions-32-34
Fouls-10-58
Yellow Cards-1-5
The other midfielders looking to make the England central role their own are Hargreaves, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Chelsea's Frank Lampard, and Tottenham Hotspur's Jermaine Jenas. Carrick will need to keep up his good form if he is to get in ahead of that quartet and stay ahead of the emerging pack that includes Nigel Reo-Coker (AstonVilla), Mark Noble (West Ham United), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough), Fabrice Muamba (Birmingham City), and Michael Johnson (Manchester City). Do you think Carrick should be the first-choice central midfielder for Manchester United? Do you think he will feature more for England? Do you think he is under-appreciated? Have your say by leaving a comment at the foot of the page.
It seems quite odd that Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick does not get the type of praise that he deserves.
The 26-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, yet he doesn't always make England squads and certainly does not enjoy the type of fanfare that other central midfielders do - even those at his own club get more compliments.
When he graduated through the West Ham United academy, he was fast-tracked into the first-team as it was quite clear to the coaching staff there that they had a special young player at their disposal.
He went on to play over one hundred times for The Hammers before moving across London to join Tottenham Hotspur, where he started to mature into a midfielder that could dictate the tempo of a game and link defence with attack by enforcing an effective passing style.
In 2006, Manchester United spent big to bring him to Old Trafford and many gasps were heard when people heard the price paid for someone that they considered to be an 'ordinary' player. But Sir Alex Ferguson was convinced of his quality and was looking for a long-term replacement for Roy Keane, who had recently left the club.
While Carrick will probably never reach the heights that Keane soared at as a player (even if he does wear the same number sixteen squad number), he has become a key component to the Red Devils machine and is getting better all of the time. Perhaps the arrival of both Owen Hargreaves and Anderson this season has brought the best out in him.
Some argue that Hargreaves is a far better player than Carrick, but they are different types of midfielders and offer something contrasting when given the nod to start. Even though Carrick has played more times this season - mainly due to Hargreaves' injury problems - it is interesting to look at how their stats over the course of the current campaign read.
Carrick v Hargreaves
Both players have scored one goal and have one assist each, and their rate of pass completion is quite similar along with tackles won. Carrick stands out with his dribbling at 79% to Hargreaves' 60%, but sometimes the influence that a player has on the pitch cannot be recorded on a stats sheet. Hargreaves is a physical presence in the middle and is prone to lift those around him, while Carrick is much more of a link player who picks key passes out and makes supporting runs. So neither player stands out as better than the other (statistically or otherwise), but Hargreaves definitely gets more praise for his performances.
Carrick + Another Midfielder
Carrick is not immune to Ferguson's rotation system, and has played alongside several midfield partners this season. Just like Hargreaves, the other midfielders in question offer something a little different so a balance is usually struck when a central midfield pairing is selected. However, some partnerships clearly work better than others even if few of them have been enough games to gel and prove they can work as a duo.
Player-Matches WithCarrick-Wins-Losses-Draws-GF-GA
Anderson-5-5-0-0-16-2-
Fletcher-2-2-0-0-9-1-
Hargraves-4-2-2-0-3-2
Scholes-10-7-1-2-15-2
Carrick v Barry While his club career has gone from strength to strength, Carrick still remains on the fringes of the England set-up. It will be curious to see if he will feature in Fabio Capello's plans for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but he will have to displace Aston Villa's Gareth Barry if he is to claim a midfield slot for The Three Lions. Barry has played in the Premier League more this term, but is not too far ahead of Carrick in terms of overall match statistics.
Player - Carrick - Barry
Appearances-25-31
Goals-1-5
Shots On Target-5-7
Shots Off Target-9-12
Shooting Accuracy-36%-37%
Assists-1-5
Total Passes-1,228-1,223
Pass Completion-83%-75%
Tackles Made-73-90
Tackles Won-82%-82%
Blocks-7-11
Clearances-52-71
Interceptions-32-34
Fouls-10-58
Yellow Cards-1-5
The other midfielders looking to make the England central role their own are Hargreaves, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Chelsea's Frank Lampard, and Tottenham Hotspur's Jermaine Jenas. Carrick will need to keep up his good form if he is to get in ahead of that quartet and stay ahead of the emerging pack that includes Nigel Reo-Coker (AstonVilla), Mark Noble (West Ham United), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough), Fabrice Muamba (Birmingham City), and Michael Johnson (Manchester City). Do you think Carrick should be the first-choice central midfielder for Manchester United? Do you think he will feature more for England? Do you think he is under-appreciated? Have your say by leaving a comment at the foot of the page.
Comment