Quote:
Originally Posted by Richter
Is he more important than people think?
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Yes.
Carrick is the one who keeps our game flowing and gels our team together. Occasionally Scholes can do it by himself (like last week against Portsmouth), but normally when Carrick isn't playing our entire team becomes much more about individuals trying to force their way through the opposition, rather than the slick movement and probing that is part of our game with Carrick.
Scholes has better vision with his passes, but Carrick is more important to us. He is our most complete midfielder.
I doubt Zenit would have scored that second goal if Carrick was on the field. He would've positioned himself in such a way he would have slowed down the attack, giving our other players time to get back and make extra numbers. That is something he is brilliant at that people don't seem to notice - it's not so much that he jumps in and wins the ball back himself, it's that he slows down the move and gives our other players time to get into position, breaking up the attacking move. It's why he works so brilliantly with Hargreaves or Fletcher in a 4231.