Carrick - Yes or No?

Recently I just don't get it with Michael Carrick. Time after time he will pick up the ball and play a great pass out wide and set up an attack but more and more recently he is reminding me of Vinney Samways, not Glenn Hoddle as some have likened him to.

More Carrick passes seem to go backwards than forwards. Maybe this is not always his fault as the movement from the rest of the midfield can be pretty static but against Charlton he was very poor indeed. Even the Spurs crowd cheered when he was substituted.

As usual Charlton played five in the middle. As we stick to 4-4-2 for most of the time we need the midfield to work hard and break down any Charlton possession but Michael Brown had to do it all himself. Brown may not be the most gifted of footballers but he will put his foot in where needed and will work his socks off. He did ten times the amount of work Carrick did today. I'm fed up with seeing Carrick bottle out of challenges like he did today. He hides from challenging for the high balls as well and fails to put opposition players under pressure. It's not good enough. Spurs need someone to really take control of the middle of the park. They need someone to step up and say "I'm in charge here" to the other Spurs players and the opposition. Maybe one day Carrick will do that but while he continues to ponce around believing he is better than he is then that day looks far off in the future.

On Saturday Jol should start with Brown and Davis in the middle based on Carrick's recent performances. I wonder if he will?