Marko and Mark debate whether Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run at Manchester United is a genuine turning point or just another temporary spark after Ruben Amorim’s exit. From tactical tweaks to VAR audits and boardroom pressure, the duo break down what stability really means in modern football ... while keeping things perfectly semi-informed.
Manchester United are winning again… and suddenly the questions are louder than ever.
In this episode of A Semi-Informed Football Podcast, we dive into the unexpected resurgence under interim manager Michael Carrick following the departure of Ruben Amorim. Four straight wins had United fans dreaming again until West Ham halted the five-game fairytale. So now the real debate begins: is this a genuine tactical reset, or just the classic “new manager bounce”?
We break down Carrick’s tactical shift from Amorim’s rigid back three to a more natural back four system and why that subtle change may have unlocked Bruno Fernandes and stabilized the dressing room. We also ask the uncomfortable question: how many games does it actually take for a club like Manchester United to hand someone the permanent job?
Then we pivot to the bigger picture: managerial instability in modern football. Are clubs too quick to pull the trigger? Is the interim model becoming the safest business strategy in elite football?
And of course, we couldn’t avoid the VAR conversation. With fresh audits and renewed scrutiny around officiating standards, we examine whether VAR is improving accountability or just adding another layer of confusion to the modern game.
It’s tactics, boardroom politics, Premier League chaos, and just enough sarcasm to keep it semi-informed.
Marko:
Welcome back to the semi in-form football podcast where managers get sacked faster than Mark loses patience during a Liverpool low block. Mark, how's it going?
Mark:
Was going to get up until then. Marko. Yeah, I—
Marko:
Got to throw that point out. All right, you know what? We're going to talk about a bunch of topics on this podcast here. First of all, and one that I've been really following a lot lately, is Carrick's future at Manchester. Thomas Frank out, eager to teach in. Postecoglou kind of throwing a little bit of shade, showing up on another maybe somewhat far popular podcast. And actually, we're going to take a look at the VAR audits, right?
So there's been a lot of questions about VAR. And I think there's a lot of opinions about VAR, so we're just going to touch on that subject. I think we're going to really follow up more about that a little bit afterwards.
So straight off, we're going to go into the Carrick question. A few weeks back, Ruben Amorim fired out of Manchester. And Michael Carrick — do we call him a caretaker coach, caretaker manager at this time? Was there a formal title at all? Mark.
Mark:
Well, yeah. Caretaker, interim manager. Interim manager, for sure. Yeah.
Marko:
Yeah, yeah. And if you notice, I remember Ruben Amorim — he made that huge distinction between the difference between a manager and a coach. So he was a manager managing the team.
Anyways, semantics aside and everything like that. So Carrick, and all of a sudden they start winning games. They win and they win and they win. They got to the point where they won four games. I don't know, I've been following this for a little bit, but Mark, are you aware of the Instagram account or any social media account by the United fan about the gentleman that's not cutting his hair until they win five straight?
Mark:
Yeah. Yeah.
Marko:
It's been fun to watch. So again, going into a fifth game against West Ham, it looked like hey, this is going to happen — and it didn't. One-one, so they ended up drawing. So now he's going to start again from scratch in order to kind of get that five streak going.
But with that said, I don't know. United's been in a lot of talks, a lot of instability, especially the last few seasons or so. But Carrick coming in kind of soothing things down — do you think this is kind of like what the modern game needs? And do you think that he's actually finding his stride at United? What do you think's happening here?
Mark:
So when you come in and rattle off four wins, especially against such high-quality opposition — it was pretty followed by Arsenal, Fulham pushing up the table, and now Spurs — I think the players are showing that they wanted to change.
I'm not saying that they weren't playing for Amorim. I don't think players really would throw in the towel just because they're not a fan of the manager. They have bonuses to play for, pride to play for, Champions League to play for. So I don't think they were tanking.
But I do think a change was needed. And I do think, mentally speaking, Carrick comes in and things are more relaxed. He's also played a back four, which Amorim should have just gone to.
Marko:
And I think that was the biggest knock against him. He was just too stuck in his ways. Stuck in his formula of how he was doing it. It didn't seem like even Bruno Fernandes was fitting into that formula. The back three just wasn't clicking. Maybe if given all the time in the world, maybe it would have been something.
But I feel like people were probably tugging on his shirt sleeve saying, hey, is it time to try that back four?
Mark:
The only way that system would have worked, Marko, is if your back three were Cafu, Maldini, and Roberto Carlos. Outside of those three playing in that system, it wasn't going to work.
Marko:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Interesting.
And honestly, even in the offseason, not bolstering the defensive line and trying to win that way — I don't know. That was something I even saw as a little bit challenging.
So do you think he has the board's trust? They've been so vocal — they're almost rock stars themselves in Manchester. Do you think he does?
Mark:
I think that any reasonable upper management would look at this as only five games. And I would think that it would be absolutely silly to make a decision and offer a permanent contract based on this alone.
We've seen the Hollywood period. What happens next?
Marko:
But with that said, what is the litmus test for him going forward? They're sitting in fourth spot right now. Is the litmus test making Champions League before they offer him a permanent contract?
Mark:
Are you talking about before they offer him a permanent—
Marko:
Yeah. Before they offer him a permanent contract or a short-term contract or bring him back next season, whatever it is — if Carrick sticks around.
Mark:
Well listen, given Man U's track record, I think from now on they should only hire interim managers.
Marko:
Yes.
Mark:
So they don't have to pay out the club.