Michael Carrick: He Can Pass, Shoot, and Head

In December 2007, I was on a flight back to Houston after travelling to Madrid to see Aberdeen take on Atletico in the UEFA Cup. I was sitting beside a pleasant Italian fellow and we spent the journey comparing football experiences as we fans are prone to doing.

He was a season-ticket holder at Hannover, having relocated to Germany and away from his beloved Fiorentina. He filled me in on the up-and-coming stars of the Bundesliga and Serie A, while I boldly defended the standard of Major League Soccer as well as talking about the Scottish and English leagues.

Steve McClaren had been dismissed as England’s manager the previous week after their disastrous 3-2 defeat by Croatia ended the Three Lions’ hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008. Inevitably we turned to the hot topics of the day – Could Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard coexist in England’s midfield? Did David Beckham deserve a place on the right side?

I offered my viewpoint which could have solved McClaren’s dilemmas. Play both Gerrard and Lampard but switch the Liverpool captain to the right (hence solving the weaknesses inherent in picking either of Beckham, Wright-Phillips, Bentley, or Lennon). Select an intelligent, skilled, ball-playing holding midfielder to play alongside Lampard in the centre. This would allow the Chelsea man to roam forward as he does to such devastating effect with his club. The ideal player to slot into the holding role would be Michael Carrick.

My comrade’s response was telling: “Who is he?”

While the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, and Beckham generate vast amounts of hype in no way reflective of their playing abilities – some way more than others – Carrick comes from the Paul Scholes school of understated elegance. His progression has continued steadily through his time at West Ham and Tottenham and his subtle string-pulling has blossomed into a key element of Manchester United’s assault on all fronts this season. Now in his third season at Old Trafford, the brilliance of Carrick’s play continues to be overlooked in favour of more heralded names, but he continues to produce devastating displays both domestically and in Europe.

Last Saturday’s game with Everton provided further evidence of Carrick’s stature at the top level. One sublime volleyed pass stood out – a deft feed to Ronaldo whose toe-poked effort struck Tim Howard’s post – as well as his surge into the penalty box which brought the game-winning penalty. As always, the Portuguese attacker hogged the commentators’ discussion. Carrick quietly got on with dictating the game.

It was a relief to finally see some glowing praise aimed in Carrick’s direction this Monday courtesy of James Lawton in The Independent. When it comes to being duped by propaganda, Lawton is firmly at the end of the line. The award-winning writer suggests that Carrick’s odds for England’s Footballer of the Year prize “will surely shorten in spite of his slender presence in the celebrity game”.

Carrick will not win the award irrespective of how he performs. But like his play, he will not be ruffled – especially if he completes a hat-trick of Premiership medals come May.