3 Reasons why Michael Carrick isn’t the right manager for Leicester
By Will Kennedy
A massive gamble
On paper, Carrick has had a steady rise in his managerial career. After the Manchester United legend retired from playing football in 2018, he quickly became assistant manager of the Red Devils – first to Jose Mourinho and then to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
When Solskjaer was sacked in 2021, Carrick stepped up and became caretaker manager for three games until a successor was found. He did well, winning his first game against Villarreal in the Champions League before beating Arsenal 3-2 and drawing 1-1 away to Chelsea. Shortly after, it was confirmed that Ralf Rangnick would take temporary charge of the club and Carrick decided to leave his role and pursue new opportunities.
In October 2022, following a dreadful start to the campaign in which they were 21st in the Championship after 16 games, Middlesbrough hired Carrick to help rescue their season and avoid the drop to League One. The 41-year-old has transformed Boro into one of the most exciting teams in the division, taking them from a point above the relegation zone to a comfortable fourth place as they push for promotion.
In Middlesbrough’s first 16 games of the season, they picked up only 17 points. In Carrick’s first 16 games, they took 37 points. The job he is doing cannot be downplayed but, with that being said, Carrick is still very young in his managerial career. He is less than a year into his Boro project and we are yet to see how he deals with the struggles that will come his way.
Leicester City choosing him as their man is a major gamble considering how little experience he has in the managerial game. It is very reminiscent of Frank Lampard’s jump from Derby to Chelsea. The jump in expectation, quality, and competitiveness is huge between the Championship and the Premier League and you can quickly be found out.
Lampard took the first big opportunity in the Premier League that came to him; that decision clearly was the wrong one with Lampard’s career going from a promising one, to a joke to most fans. Carrick must learn from the mistakes of others that he can’t rush his development.