Manchester City recalled some of the defeats from last season in the city derby, and United, by changing their coach, may have announced that this year was not lost, although it is not realistic to expect a fight for the English championship title.
The shock therapy worked and couldn't have been better with the arrival of Michael Carrick, because triumphs over the "citizens" haven't been that frequent for ten years and must be celebrated - no matter how clear it is to everyone at Old Trafford that the problems remain and that they couldn't be solved in 90 minutes.
There are flaws within and around the club, there are flaws in the playing staff, but Carrick and his coaching staff - who succeeded Ruben Amorim - have hidden all the bad things and outsmarted Pep Guardiola. The final 2-0 at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday afternoon does not even reflect how dominant the "Red Devils" were against a team that is supposedly a serious contender for the title.
What did Kerik do in a few days?
- We had some very good training sessions before the derby and we mostly worked with the ball. Kudos to the manager and his assistants for their preparation, I'm delighted - said Lisandro Martinez, one of the best players in the derby.
Carrick certainly doesn't have a magic wand, but he is a welcome addition to the team after the departure of Amorim, who seemed to be burdened with public appearances more than his coaching duties. And he is not the first coach to be simply "swallowed" by the pressure at United.
- The start is phenomenal, but should we get carried away now? - says Kerik.
He then gave an interesting presentation:
- A derby is a game you don't need to motivate yourself before, it brings excitement on its own. However, not every match will be like that in the announcement, and we have to make sure that this excitement always exists - Kerik pointed out.
Continuity - that's what United have been missing for years.
- There is a standard below which this club cannot go. It is the players' obligation to perform at a high level, regardless of the result. Now we have beaten a big rival and everything seems ideal at first glance, but of course it is not. I would not be here if everything was as it should be - Kerik is clear.
The former West Ham, Tottenham and United midfielder has a season ticket for matches at Old Trafford.
- I watched a lot of matches live, when I wasn't at the stadium, family members came. I saw a lot of it, it was easier for me to get to the heart of the problem when I got to the bench, but the real work is only now waiting for us. One match can't change much, but we can base some things on it for the near future - said Carrick, whose team had only 32 percent possession of the ball against City, but that didn't stop them from completely stopping their rivals.
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