Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick is relishing the chance to prove themselves against league leaders Arsenal after a dream start to the game at Old Trafford.
Carrick, who will serve as United’s caretaker manager until the end of the season, got his side off to a winning start by leading them to a 2-0 Derby Day win at Old Trafford. It was a performance that garnered praise for its overwhelming offensive power.
The former United midfielder is preparing his side for a retest against Arsenal, who have been waiting 22 years for the Premier League title.
United head to the Emirates, where the Gunners have not lost a game this season, and are aiming for their first Premier League win at Arsenal since 2017.
But Carrick may feel even more confident given the fact that the last time he faced Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, he led United to a 3-2 victory as caretaker manager in 2021.
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Carrick took a ‘hands-on’ approach as his team prepared for the trip to Arsenal
Asked about the possibility of facing Arsenal, Carrick told Sky Sports: “I understand that Arsenal are a good team. To be honest, they are a round team.”
“I think Mikel has done a really good job of putting together a team that can do so many things well. That in itself is a challenge.”
“The wide men are dangerous one-on-one. They fill the box and have a good balance in the team in terms of how they attack and defend.
“They’re all a team and everyone plays their part. It’s not necessarily one individual that carries them. Again, from a coaching standpoint, that’s a credit to Mikel.”
“Set-pieces are also a threat. That’s why they’re sitting at the top of the league and why they’re doing so well in the Champions League at the moment.”
“We’re carrying over the feeling we’ve had over the last week or two of games and training, and the players feel like they’re in a good place and are looking forward to the game.
“We know it’s a challenge, but we can go there and we can meet it head on. We’ve got good players and we’re a good team. So we just proved it. We’ve got to keep proving it.”
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Gary Neville has praised Manchester United’s first performance under head coach Carrick, saying it could lay a “good foundation” for the next manager to take over at Old Trafford.
Recalling the win over Arteta’s Arsenal in 2021, Carrick added: “There’s not much to take from that for this game. It’s a whole new challenge, a whole new game, a whole new group of players. We’ll go into the game building on what we’ve done this week and we’re looking forward to it.”
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Arteta wary of Manchester United’s ‘deadly’ counter
Mikel Arteta expects Manchester United to bring “intensity” and “new ideas” under Carrick as Arsenal look to return to winning ways after goalless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
The Arsenal manager is particularly wary of their counter-attacking threat, having seen him brutally punish Josep Guardiola’s Manchester City in last weekend’s Manchester derby.
“Michael’s addition will bring new ideas,” he said. “The intensity is always increasing.
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“In the Manchester derby, you could see that in the way they behaved and played and we expect it to be a very tough game and we will definitely adapt to that.
“But we are at home and we know how important this game is for us.
“They’re very good in a lot of departments, but it’s clear that when that team has space to get into certain spots to activate or run, they can be deadly.
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“You saw that in Manchester a few days ago. They have a lot of characteristics that cause them problems. But like any team, they have their weaknesses.
“Historically, there’s always been something very relevant to that,” he added of their threat of counterattack. “And so is the player profile that they always have and certain individuals who are really good at activating those spaces.
“I don’t know the exact statistics, but I’m sure they are one of the best players.”
Arteta also recalled meeting Carrick when he was a player. “One of my favorite No. 6 players,” he said. “Very intelligent, never seemed to break a sweat and was in great control of the game.”
“It’s not a great memory and we have to change that,” Arteta added of his last encounter as manager, when Arsenal lost 3-2 at Old Trafford in December 2021.
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