With Champions League football secure after United beat Liverfool last Sunday 😁, there isn’t much left to play for.

At least on the surface of it.

The main goal of the campaign has been achieved but there are some important matters to consider:

Finishing as high as possible - which looks like 3rd

Ending the season on a positive

The assist record

So in a way, while it may appear like the remaining three games are dead rubbers, they really aren’t.

And there is one MAJOR decision from Carrick which could define who he is as a manager.

All this could make a seemingly uninteresting game a lot more intriguing.

‍

Predicted Lineup

This is where that major decision comes into play.

‍

Now you might think what’s this major decision you’re talking about? And again, on the surface it might look like it’s nothing.

But remember a certain Martinez is now available after serving a three-match ban for… basically nothing.

Since he is back though, what will Carrick do regarding his centre-back pairing?

‍

As you can see, I’ve kept Heaven in the side. The lad deserves to start. He’s been excellent in these last three matches after coming in for the butcher but as Martinez is more experienced and a senior player, will Carrick have the strength to keep him on the sidelines?

This has a lot of connotations moving forward because it can show us whether the interim - who will be permanent manager - has the resolve to keep a young player who's performing in the team, or would he do what most do and bench him for the senior pro?

‍

The rest of the team should stay the same although we have to wait for updates on Sesko.

I wonder what Carrick will do if the Slovenian isn’t available?

Clearly, Mbeumo and Amad have dropped off in terms of performances but Zirkzee is not in favor under Carrick.

Tbh, I and I’m sure many fans, wouldn’t actually mind seeing the Dutchman start. He had a decent cameo against Liverpool and with the rumors about a potential departure, maybe this could be a sort of farewell?

‍

There is also the option of using the false 9. This is something Carrick has done more often than not and seems to be his preferred approach.

If this was the case, I would like it to be Mbeumo on the right, Cunha up top and Dorgu on the left. This is something I can get behind.

Will be an interesting lineup regardless of what the interim does.

‍

Approach

Well, it’s been defend and counter throughout Carrick’s time against all opponents so I doubt we’ll see a change now, especially because it’s been working.

But as it looks likely that he will be permanent boss, these final three games give him and these players a chance to improve their style of play as there is no pressure now with UCL football confirmed.

United have an opportunity to release the shackles and go for it.

‍

The thing is, every time I look at the average possession of a lot of teams in a similar bracket to Sunderland, it is quite low. The Black Cats for example average just 44.5%.

The issue is that under Carrick, we don’t average that much higher at just 49%. This suggests a boring pragmatic game with both sides canceling each other out.

And it is why we find it difficult against the likes of Sunderland. The big teams allow us to play the counter-attacking game whereas when you come up against another team who are defensive, you often find that United are stumped.

‍

This approach also relies a lot on someone with pace up front. The only forward we have with that speed is Mbeumo and at the moment, he isn’t playing well at all.

Sesko does have pace as we saw against Everton but how often do we use that? How often do we play to his strengths full stop?

And as I said, at this point, I don’t know whether Sesko will be available.

Amad isn’t performing well either and isn’t that great as a false 9 anyway.

‍

The only other option is Cunha. He can definitely do that role and I find that he is actually better more centrally than on the periphery. Even though he’s done relatively well on the left, I don’t think a player of his ability is involved enough but when he is, can be dangerous.

If this happens, then we might see the return to the starting XI of Dorgu. Again, this is something that I wouldn’t mind.

Before his injury, the Dane was providing with not just proper width but real left-winger play. He was direct, he got up and down the pitch well, created chances and scored goals.

He gave us exactly what we needed from that position which was something that even Cunha was/is struggling with.

But the biggest change with Dorgu is his crosses.

Being left-footed and playing on the left, Dorgu provides that natural ability to just whip a cross in. For a striker like Sesko, that is exactly what he’s waiting for. We have a problem with actually putting crosses into the box let alone quality ones.

And even without Sesko, I’d like to see us do this.

‍

Considering that in the main, there isn’t much to be worried about in terms of position in the table and UCL qualification, there’s no real need to play the pragmatic and cowardly game.

This is an opportunity for Carrick and United to go more attacking, more on the front foot, and be more expressive in their style. What we’ve seen so far has been quite safe and frankly, boring.

I believe this style is only overlooked because we are getting results which to an extent, I understand. But my fear is that people aren’t looking beyond that. I find that the manager of Man United has to look at the future and this style of play is unsustainable.

Will it work for two games a week?

That’s why for the next three games, we need to see something more modern, something that would give Carrick doubters like myself more confidence in him as manager.

‍

Form

Defeating Liverpool meant United opened up a six-point gap to 4th place giving us some breathing room to our great rivals.

Carrick’s Reds are also one of the league’s in form teams with three wins in our last five, all of which came in our last three matches. Only City and Forest can boast a better recent record.

United’s biggest issue away from home however, has been draws. We’ve picked up seven of them with only Leeds having drawn more on the road.

Our goals conceded on our travels is another issue as we’ve let in 26. Only LFC have let in more away from home.

Carrick’s record on the road is decent with three wins, two draws and one loss. He’s scored 9 goals in that time, conceded 7 and kept two clean sheets.

‍

As we know with United though, the sort of mid-table teams are the ones we find it really difficult against. While Carrick has still managed to win most of them, they weren’t as convincing as those against the bigger teams.

We scraped past Fulham, Everton, Brentford and ten men Palace. We drew to West Ham and Bournemouth and lost to ten men Newcastle and to Leeds at home.

Sunderland fall into that bracket too so we have to be very careful.

United have dominated this fixture with five wins from six with the other being a Sunderland victory.

Sunderland

The Black Cats have had a weird season.

They started off incredibly well by being one of the league’s in form teams but have dropped off since the early days. However, they’ve still done better than most expected.

At the moment, they are 12th in the table with a near enough equal record: 12 wins, 11 draws and 12 losses. But the problem for Regis Le Bris is when it comes to goals. His side has scored just 37 which ranks them fourth from bottom.

Despite all this though, Sunderland's total of 47 points still means that they can qualify for European football. It will take a lot and many results have to go their way including winning pretty much every game themselves, but it can be done.

‍

Sunderland are also 12th in the home table with most of their 37 goals (23) coming at the Stadium of Light. More than this, they haven't lost many at home. With just four losses, they have the fifth-best home record in that sense.

This suggests a tough game for United.

‍

Prediction

It’s going to be a difficult match. The league can be unpredictable and you know how we struggle against these sort of opponents. And the Black Cats are fighting for European football which gives them a reason to go for it.

But with the momentum we have, the confidence within the team, the love for Carrick, I feel that we will win 1-3.

I just don’t see anything stopping a United side full of belief like this. Such a team can be dangerous.

But what are your thoughts ahead of this interesting match?

‍

Granit Xhaka | Image via Sunderland official X (@SunderlandAFC)

Stadium of Light | Creator: Charlotte Tattersall - The FA | Credit: The FA via Getty Images Copyright: 2021 The FA via Sunderland AFC News

Bryan Mbeumo | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)