Michael Carrick has Manchester United DNA and, having just one game in the role as interim head coach at Old Trafford, is being touted as the savior of the club, in the absence of any Tottenham Hotspur Thomas Frank’s background or DNA in football philosophy means he is now fighting to save his job.
Okay, it’s not that simple, but it’s moving in that direction. Coaching a leading football team has now become a zero-sum game whereby you either adopt the club’s traditions or do it differently and risk alienating supporters as well as an increasingly vocal and influential group of former players – worse, veterans.
If you go your own way and ignore the so-called DNA of the club, you’ll win better… and win faster.
But what is football DNA? It’s a term that is only used when a manager/head coach is struggling and supporters and former players reduce their difficulties to that simple, ubiquitous term for dissatisfaction.
When Man United fired Ruben Amorim earlier this month after a disappointing 14-month reign as head coach at Old Trafford, former club captain and now pundit Gary Neville made a clear statement on what the club needs to emerge from the malaise that stretches back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in May 2013.
“Man United need to appoint a manager who fits the DNA of their club,” he said on sky sports. “Ajax will never change for anyone, barcelona Will never change for anyone. I don’t believe Man United should make changes for anyone.”
Whether accidentally or deliberately, United took note of Neville’s comments by interviewing three former players – Carrick, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy – for the role of Amorim’s successor until the end of the season.
Carrick won the race and won 2-0 Manchester City In his first game in charge. United played fast, attacking and winning football to defeat Pep Guardiola’s side and revive their hopes of a top-four finish. United DNA? Absolutely.
But this is where the theory breaks down. No manager in United’s illustrious history has won more trophies than Ferguson’s 48, but when he arrived from Aberdeen to take charge in November 1986, he had no connections to United. He spent his entire playing career here scotland And the only “United” on his CV was a year spent with Ayr United in 1973–74.
Similar stories apply to Arsene Wenger, who had no Arsenal DNA before arriving at the club from Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight in September 1996, and to Jose Mourinho’s passing. chelsea From fc porto In the summer of 2004.
Until Wenger took charge, Arsenal’s DNA was defensive organization and little flair – opposition fans would sing “Boring, boring Arsenal” when facing the Gunners – but the Frenchman broke this. armory playbook and turned them into serial winners who played tremendous attacking football.
Chelsea were considered entertainers without a winning mentality when Mourinho arrived, but he imposed his own brand of power, organization and direct football to begin an era of success at Stamford Bridge, with a style of play that had no roots in Chelsea’s DNA.
Meanwhile, Manchester City arguably bought Barcelona’s DNA by appointing Guardiola in the summer of 2016. The club owners wanted City to win everything by playing Barcelona-style football and Guardiola duly delivered. So what kind of DNA will Guardiola’s fans and fans demand when he leaves his post?
One thing is for sure: no Arsenal, Chelsea or City fan will ever complain about Wenger, Mourinho or Guardiola changing the DNA of their clubs and turning them into winners.
Football DNA is ultimately nothing more than a code word for nostalgia; A comfort blanket in times of struggle when the warm glow of the past makes everything seem wrong and misplaced in the present moment. And if you’re Man United and the embodiment of the club’s DNA – Ferguson – is a constant presence at games in the directors’ box, it’s impossible to resist the temptation to measure today’s team and head coach against the 84-year-old’s achievements.
2:52
Michalik: I can’t see Thomas Frank staying at Tottenham
ESPN FC’s Janusz Michalik reacts to Tottenham’s shocking 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League.
Spurs coach Frank doesn’t have an army of successful former players and managers to worry about as his club has become synonymous with over-promising and under-delivering. If Spurs have the DNA, the code is failing time and again, yet supporters still remember the traditions of the 1950s and 1960s when the club won league titles and played an exciting brand of possession-based attacking football.
If a modern day coach is expected to respect the traditions of the past, especially those of about 80 years ago, they have no chance of success unless they are bold enough to move forward and do things their own way. As did Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho.
But having some connection to the club’s DNA gives coaches the benefit of a longer honeymoon period than those who don’t.
Spurs supporters welcomed Frank’s appointment last summer after several impressive seasons brentfordBut as soon as he saw the goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario Taking a free kick from inside the center circle and the defender Kevin Denso Throwing long throw-ins into the penalty area during the UEFA Super Cup Final Paris Saint Germain Alarm bells started ringing early in the season.
This kind of direct football is certainly not part of Tottenham’s DNA, so Frank had to win to avoid his playing style becoming a problem. But, six months later, Spurs are winless and Frank’s football has become a lightning rod, which could lead to him losing his job as early as this week.
Carrick has no such concerns; United beat City by playing Ferguson-style football – the same one Carrick played in a United shirt – so not only does he have plenty of credit in the bank, his United DNA means there will soon be demand for him to get the job permanently if performances and results continue to mirror the great teams of the past.
However this has nothing to do with DNA. It’s all about winning. No one complains about bad DNA when a team is winning.
