Jamie Carragher Breaks Down Michael Carrick's Tactics With Must-Watch Analysis

Jamie Carragher was full of praise for Michael Carrick and his "back-to-basics approach" as the former Liverpool defender delivered an in-depth analysis of Saturday's Manchester derby.

Carrick, who was announced as United's interim head coach on Tuesday following the departure of Ruben Amorim, was met with the daunting task of trying to overcome Premier League title-chasers Manchester City.

Given how they have performed in recent weeks, United were certainly the underdogs coming into the game against Pep Guardiola's side, who boasted a 13-game unbeaten streak coming into the derby.

However, he managed to mastermind an inspired performance at Old Trafford as second-half goals from Bryan Mbuemo and Patrick Dorgu sealed United's first victory of 2026.

Carrick's decision to play without a traditional striker, as well as the previously frozen-out Kobbie Mainoo, was lauded by many, including Jamie Carragher.

Carragher points out United's simple, but effective, zonal press. Image credit: Sky Sports

Speaking on the latest episode of Monday Night Football, Carragher welcomed Carrick's tactical approach to the game.

"It felt like a back-to-basics sort of approach, and I mean that in a complimentary way. Because they only had a few days on the training pitch," he began.

"The new coaching set-up was, well, let's not over-complicate this. And the best way to describe it, it felt like a throwback to the days when I played, how they went about it. We've just looked at Chelsea, man-to-man press, man-to-man marking, and that is a big part of football now, certainly in the Premier League.

"But this felt like a throwback with Manchester United. It was almost a bit zonal, send the ball to one side, and then we go from there. But when you talk about back-to-basics, what no-one can stop you doing is running out of possession.

"And that was absolutely out of this world for Manchester United."

Carragher pointed out United's distance out of possession stats from this season, with four of the top five – Kobbie Mainoo (7.9km), Patrick Dorgu (7.2km), Amad (7km) and Bruno Fernandes (6.7km) – making their mark against City.

Carragher was impressed with United's efforts out of possession. Image credit: Sky Sports

Mainoo was singled out for praise by Carragher, who focused on United's zonal press and how they exposed one of City's most inexperienced players, Max Alleyne.

He continued: "The standout for me was Kobbie Mainoo, who I thought was fantastic in the game, alongside Casemiro, who was excellent as well, that real partnership together. But it wasn't just about running, what was the idea?

"So the idea for me, and I say it was a throwback, but we've got the 4-4-2 zonal press, we've just seen Chelsea do man-to-man press. What's interesting, and we're going to get to this with Thierry later on is... Manchester City definitely made this easy for them, because they never had any players between the lines.

"But this is what we would have done, this is what Arsenal would have done in the past. So, the idea is, we're all in a zone, we start now, and what do we do? We're going to let the ball go to the youngest centre-back, or maybe the weakest centre-back, if you like, on his weak foot.

"So, he's a right-footed player, he's on that left foot, Max Alleyne, a young player, still learning his trade. So, the ball's going to come here, and then we're going to press. As the ball comes across, the thing to really look at is Kobbie Mainoo, and he had a role all day to look after Rodri in that midfield."

Carragher continued: "He was jumping out of centre midfield, so what did that mean? A big problem for Manchester United over the last couple of years has been this man, Casemiro, left alone in the centre midfield.

"So, your midfield partner's jumped to stop one of the best players in the world dictating the game. So, this means Amad and Dorgu have got to get inside and get narrow.

"We see it now as the ball comes in, it comes in to the striker, he loses it, Haaland, he makes a tackle, Martinez. Look at the distance between the two midfield wide players, Dorgu and Amad. That could be Giggs and Beckham."

You can watch Carragher and Henry's full analysis above.