When the England squad for the Holland match was announced there was much talk about the absence of Frank Lampard, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rio Ferdinand, plus general confusion at the inclusion of Frasier Campbell over Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Bobby Zamora.
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| I've heard of Frasier Crane but who is this Campbell guy? |
There was even a lot of talk about Paul Scholes being brought back into the mixer for Euros, especially when England manager elect Harry Redknapp suggested it. And this wasn’t just Harry twitching away acquiescing to the common opinion that ‘Scholsey is a twiffik player’, this was a far more direct “You'd love to have Paul Scholes in the Euros... He'd be in your team, he's that good.”
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| Please someone offer me the England job |
It is fair to say Scholes is probably the most talented English midfielder of his generation, and still a master at controlling the tempo of a game with his immaculate close control and one and two-touch passing. However, he hasn’t been the mainstay of Manchester United’s midfield for a long time. That position goes to the widely unheralded Michael Carrick – Carrick has played more games than Scholes in each of the 6 seasons since he joined Manchester United in 2006, averaging over 45 games per season. But amongst all this talk surrounding the England squad, nobody seemed to bat an eyelid at the fact that Carrick once again missed the cut.
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| If you're good enough you're young enough |
Many of you reading this will be thinking "that’s because Carrick isn’t good enough for England". But if this is the case why, with a far wider pool of players to potentially choose from, does Sir Alex Ferguson insist of making him the mainstay of his Manchester United team? Carrick has made over 40 appearances in every season since he signed, winning four Premier League medals and playing in 3 Champions League finals during those 5 seasons. He’s got to be doing something right surely?
The question often asked of Carrick, and even sometimes by Manchester United fans is, “what exactly does he do?” Yes he’s a midfielder, but he’s not a tackler, nor a creator or a goal scorer – all roles that are easy to identify.
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| Ha ha another trophy and I haven't had to do anything apparently! |
The most popular criticism of Carrick is his lack of impact and goals. This is quite unfair given his role in the team and Manchester United style of play. The fact that Carrick doesn’t score many goals or provide many assists is not really important since put simply, it is not his job to do so.
Carrick’s role as a holding midfielder is to break up play when the opposition is in possession and to distribute the ball to more attack minded players. It requires patience, discipline and positional awareness, qualities which are generally underappreciated in the hustle and bustle of Premier League football.
Additionally he is often accused of making too many sideways passes. This criticism totally ignores the fact the United don’t possess a central advanced playmaker and generally attack focus their attacks through the wings, thus Carrick’s job is often to distribute the ball laterally. And from the deep position he operates in ambitious passes are high risk and can look good without actually being effective, while also often resulting in a turnover of possession.
Additionally he is often accused of making too many sideways passes. This criticism totally ignores the fact the United don’t possess a central advanced playmaker and generally attack focus their attacks through the wings, thus Carrick’s job is often to distribute the ball laterally. And from the deep position he operates in ambitious passes are high risk and can look good without actually being effective, while also often resulting in a turnover of possession.
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| Keeping it simple |
As Paul Scholes noted about the problems he encountered when playing for England, “You go into the England team and you want to be part of a team that plays well, but there are individuals who are after personal glory. When there is a simple pass of 10 yards, they might try and smack it 80 yards. They will do things to try and get themselves noticed, they get their big move and that is enough for them."
Part of the problem in fully appreciating his contribution is his game consists of performing numerous small tasks, and therefore it’s difficult to notice his impact without concentrating intently on the game. In styles of football where ball retention is considered important, this steady unspectacular player in central midfield who links the defense and attack becomes a crucial figure. Looking at his passing statistics, Carrick has made the 3rd most passes per game of any Premier League player, behind only Mikel Arteta and Yaya Toure, and this with a pass completion rate of 90.2% (currently 9th highest in the Premier League).
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| Best pass completion in the five major leagues? Xavi? Nope it's Swansea's Leon Britten at 93.3% |
Carrick has suffered most from England’s lack of appreciation for possession based midfielders. Spain’s Xabi Alonso’s view on this is unambiguous when reflecting on England's failure at the 2010 World Cup, "England missed a player like Carrick in the midfield, somebody who knows how to be in the right place at the right time... Gerrard gains a lot from having a player like Carrick as a partner, somebody who provides the back-up he needs to be free and bring his power to bear decisively in a game."
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| If you want to win this then listen to me damn it |
As boring and mundane as it seems, like many holding midfielders, Carrick plays a crucial part in making the Manchester United team function properly. As Zinadine Zidane stated about Real Madrid’s decision to sell Claude Makalele to Chelsea and bring in David Beckham that same season, “Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?”
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| Don't be silly Claude, of course they'll offer you a new contract... |
Once Makalele’s importance was identified and he made a phoenix-like transformation from being one of world football’s most underrated players to one of its most overrated. His legacy was ultimately a new found appreciation of the importance of a good defensive midfielder, but then if this is the case, why isn’t Carrick held in high esteem when playing in this position?
The problem Carrick faces in an English context is that for much of recent football history English teams have been primarily playing a 4-4-2 system where the two midfielders would often consist of one tough-tackling 'destroyer', paired with a more attack minded 'creator'. English supporters are thus used to these two types of central midfielder and the quick direct football that suits this tactical set-up.
However, with increasing influence of foreign players and managers came an appreciation of a possession based game, and the shift towards playing an extra player in midfield. The destroyer-creator model now had space for an additional ‘passer’, whose primary job is to maintain possession and be the pivot for distribution from a deeper location than the more advanced ‘creator’. We can see in Liverpool’s near title winning midfield of Mascherano (destroyer), Alonso (passer) and Gerrard (creator), or Manchester United’s 2007-08 Champions League winning midfield of Hargreaves (destroyer), Carrick (passer) and Scholes (creator).
However, with increasing influence of foreign players and managers came an appreciation of a possession based game, and the shift towards playing an extra player in midfield. The destroyer-creator model now had space for an additional ‘passer’, whose primary job is to maintain possession and be the pivot for distribution from a deeper location than the more advanced ‘creator’. We can see in Liverpool’s near title winning midfield of Mascherano (destroyer), Alonso (passer) and Gerrard (creator), or Manchester United’s 2007-08 Champions League winning midfield of Hargreaves (destroyer), Carrick (passer) and Scholes (creator).
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| I haven't been the same since you left mate |
Unfortunately for Carrick (and Manchester United) severe injury and illness have led to the loss of their two highly influential midfield destroyers, Owen Hargreaves and Darren Fletcher, which has meant Carrick taking on more of the defensive responsibility, and thus carrying the main defensive responsibility in the midfield.
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| Poor Michael, we've left him to play with Anderson |
However, even when playing in this role Carrick has delivered superb performances without gaining very much attention from supporters, including many who frequent Old Trafford. While many can accept his job is to provide simple distribution to his more attacking teammates, they still expect their defensive midfielders to be those tough tackling 'destroyers', in the mould of Makalele or Mascherano.
While Carrick doesn’t have hard tackling in his game, referees are much stricter on strong challenges, and there has been an increasing numbers of free kicks and yellow cards given for challenges that would have been perfectly acceptable 10 years ago. However, while it often goes unnoticed, Carrick currently ranks equal 10th for tackles made in the Premier League this season, with 3.1 tackles per game.
While Carrick doesn’t have hard tackling in his game, referees are much stricter on strong challenges, and there has been an increasing numbers of free kicks and yellow cards given for challenges that would have been perfectly acceptable 10 years ago. However, while it often goes unnoticed, Carrick currently ranks equal 10th for tackles made in the Premier League this season, with 3.1 tackles per game.
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| Old Skool |
Furthermore, the change in attacking tactics, towards short quick passes, means intercepting has become just as important - if not more so - than tackling. It’s not as spectacular or obvious, but intercepting doesn’t risk a booking and if successful gives a higher opportunity to turn over possession and launch a shift counter attack.
The best defensive players are steeped in a tradition that regarded staying in your feet as a virtue and tackling as a necessary last resort. Think of the styles Baresi, Maldini, Nesta, and the reputations of Beckenbauer and Moore.
As Rio Ferdinand said recently, “Intercepting is far more effective than tackling. It’s not as flashy, so often if goes unnoticed. Michael Carrick hardly ever launches into a slide tackle or gets involved in a physical battle. That lands him some stick. But his stats for interceptions are off the chart.”
As Rio Ferdinand said recently, “Intercepting is far more effective than tackling. It’s not as flashy, so often if goes unnoticed. Michael Carrick hardly ever launches into a slide tackle or gets involved in a physical battle. That lands him some stick. But his stats for interceptions are off the chart.”
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| Ok I clearly made a typo in the google search... |
While not exactly off the chart, Carrick does rank equal 5th in the Premier League this season for interceptions, with 2.9 per game. And in the Champions League last year he made 48 interceptions, which was equaled only by Schalke’s Benedikt Howedes.
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| Howedes and Raul celebrate while Vicente Del Bosque watches on |
The key to this is of course positioning – knowing where to be and when to be there. This is the key strength of any top quality defensive midfielder, and while Carrick is often accused of an apparent lack of ambition, it would be more appropriately observed that he is never caught too high up the pitch, and is therefore perfectly positioned to break up attacks when required.
While Anderson and Cleverly provided a very exciting and dynamic combination at the start of the season, United were also very open defensively and allowed more shots on goal than usual. It is no coincidence that Carrick’s return to form has resulted in more defensive stability and helped Manchester United cope with numerous defensive injuries, especially the loss of their talismanic captain Nemanja Vidic.
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| Ander-son-son-son he's better than Kleberson... but then again who isn't |
Of course making the case for Carrick’s place in the England squad based on such arguments leads one to be accused of being a pretentious know-it-all who is over intellectualising a simple game. But I genuinely believe it been a failure of England managers to try and fit as many superstar players into the team without considering a balance that leads to a more effective collective entity.
A prime example of this collective philosophy can be seen in the two teams that reached the 2010 World Cup final, Spain and Holland. Both played the majority of the tournament with 2 holding midfielders (Alonso and Busquets for Spain, De Jong and van Bommel for Holland), while leaving 2 of the most talented players in world football (Cesc Fabregas and Rafael van der Vaart) on the bench.
The case for utilizing a double pivot is even stronger when considering that all England’s full backs are strong attacking threats and therefore extra defensive cover in midfield will help mitigate England's vulnerability to counter attacks when their full backs advance.
A prime example of this collective philosophy can be seen in the two teams that reached the 2010 World Cup final, Spain and Holland. Both played the majority of the tournament with 2 holding midfielders (Alonso and Busquets for Spain, De Jong and van Bommel for Holland), while leaving 2 of the most talented players in world football (Cesc Fabregas and Rafael van der Vaart) on the bench.
The case for utilizing a double pivot is even stronger when considering that all England’s full backs are strong attacking threats and therefore extra defensive cover in midfield will help mitigate England's vulnerability to counter attacks when their full backs advance.
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| The only midfield combination in history where van Bommel was the classier player |
So while Scott Parker’s form so far this season has made him a shoe-in for a starting position for England’s opening Euro 2012 game, utilizing a second holding player should also be a potential tactic, especially against stronger opposition. However, even when thinking along these lines Fabio Capello favoured the likes of Gareth Barry, Jack Rodwell or even Phil Jones over Carrick. While Rodwell and Jones are certainly players for the future it is the inclusion of Barry over Carrick that remains the most confusing one.
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| Hmm if he's so good why does this Busquets guy keep falling over? |
Apart from being a so-called teacher’s pet there seems no logical reason for Barry's inclusion over Carrick, as there is no single part of his game that he has the edge of his Manchester rival. Looking at pure stats, in the Premier League this season, Barry has made less tackles per game than Carrick (2.4 vs 3.1), less interceptions per game (2 vs 2.9), has committed twice as many fouls per game (1.4 vs 0.7), has made less passes per game (62.5 vs 69.3) and with a lower pass completion rate (86.4% vs 90.2%). They both have similar physical attributes, and if anything Carrick is stronger technically, with a wider range of passing.
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| Rugby tackles don't count |
Having said all this, it is important to point out that Carrick does have 2 apparent weakness that should be considered.
Firstly, like many footballers, he is a confidence player, and because of his style of play, when not on song it can look as if the game is passing him by. Sir Alex Ferguson believes he performs better in the second half of the season and his confidence seems to be on a high currently, so this can only be good news for England going into the Euros.
Secondly, because of his lack of quick feet in possession he performs better in patient tactical encounters, such as Champions League matches, rather than the high tempo blood-and-thunder affairs you can get in many Premiership games, especially when Manchester United play away from Old Trafford. However, international football is typically played at the lower tempo that suits Carrick’s game, and at summer tournaments played in hot conditions, possession is king, and a player of his skill-set would be highly valuable.
As Sir Alex Ferguson has said, "Michael is one of those unassuming quiet guys, who just goes about his job and never gives the ball away. But his range of passing can win you games. He is a real Manchester United player."
Firstly, like many footballers, he is a confidence player, and because of his style of play, when not on song it can look as if the game is passing him by. Sir Alex Ferguson believes he performs better in the second half of the season and his confidence seems to be on a high currently, so this can only be good news for England going into the Euros.
Secondly, because of his lack of quick feet in possession he performs better in patient tactical encounters, such as Champions League matches, rather than the high tempo blood-and-thunder affairs you can get in many Premiership games, especially when Manchester United play away from Old Trafford. However, international football is typically played at the lower tempo that suits Carrick’s game, and at summer tournaments played in hot conditions, possession is king, and a player of his skill-set would be highly valuable.
As Sir Alex Ferguson has said, "Michael is one of those unassuming quiet guys, who just goes about his job and never gives the ball away. But his range of passing can win you games. He is a real Manchester United player."
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| You'd assume he knows a things or two about footballers wouldn't you? |
Since we started talking about Paul Scholes, let’s finish with some words from Ginger Prince about his underappreciated teammate:
“I can’t see why people have problems with Michael Carrick… I found him brilliant to play with He is not a flashy person or a flashy player but he has great talent. He has great mental concentration. He reads the game so well. He is a dream for any attacking midfielder to play with. He is like a Rolls Royce.”
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| Carrick: A Rolls Royce or just a Phantom? You decide... |
