LIVE Real Madrid v Levante: Commentary, updates, goals and stats with all eyes on Arbeloa after cup shock
Manchester United embrace a fresh start on Saturday. It's temporary, but it's fresh. With a new interim head coach in place after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, the Red Devils kick off with a lunchtime Manchester derby.
There's nothing like jumping in at the deep end. Michael Carrick is familiar enough with the fixture. The interim United boss was appointed as Amorim's immediate successor after former teammate Darren Fletcher took charge of two matches in the meantime.
The Manchester derby could set Carrick up for the months ahead
For better or worse, former Middlesbrough boss Carrick has been installed until the end of the 2025-26 season. There's no denying the gulf in ability between the two Manchester teams but the derby might be exactly the game he would have chosen as his first.
Manchester City are favourites to win at Old Trafford in Saturday's early kick-off but this is a fixture that likes to upset the odds every now and then. If there's any fixture that could set the right tone in the hinterland of Amorim's disappointing tenure, this could be it.
There's nothing spectacular about United's record against City since Ferguson's retirement. They've beaten their rivals only three times at Old Trafford in the Premier League, fewer even than their five derby victories away from home.
But City have been the superior side and picking up eight wins against them in that time merely shows that derby days can be a great leveller, a fact amplified in Manchester's case by the fact that United have generally been less than the sum of their parts.
It might be infuriating to see a team raise its game against certain opponents while underperforming elsewhere, but United have been able to do it against City and indeed Liverpool when a win seems the least likely outcome.
Almost exactly three years ago, United welcomed their rivals for a home derby. They'd lost 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the 2022-23 season and been beaten in both fixtures the year before.
Jack Grealish put treble-bound City in front after an hour and they were in the lead until the last 10 minutes. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford scored in the space of four minutes and United banked the points against the odds.
In 2017-18, with the two Manchester clubs holding the top two places in a tame title race that saw City win the league with 100 points a few weeks later, United were 2-0 down at half time at the Etihad.
They were level within 10 minutes thanks to two Paul Pogba goals and Chris Smalling grabbed the winner with 20 minutes to go. It was a thriller for the neutral, a frustration for City and a futile victory for the visitors.
United will need to be at their best to win the derby
Sometimes, United will win a game against City they have no business winning. Only time will tell if this weekend will be one of those occasions.
If Carrick and United get this game right, 2025-26 could turn out rather better than expected. The Red Devils will only play 40 matches this season but if they use 38 of them to get back into Europe, Carrick's short spell will have to be deemed a success.
They go into Saturday's game in seventh place in the league and within immediate striking distance of a Champions League place; Amorim's time in the dugout was a disappointment but it wasn't terminal.
For all the behind-the-scenes drama, all the reported unrest between Jason Wilcox and Amorim before the end, all the lacklustre performances and wasted megabucks, United cannot write off this season.
Carrick's objective is a lofty one but not impossible on paper. United need to play to the potential of their individual players and with the right collective attitude in order to get anywhere.
It'll never be easier for the interim head coach to extract the latter from his team than this weekend. If they can turn that into a result, this derby could yet prove the perfect tonic at the best possible moment.
TOPICS
