Things couldn’t have gone much better for Michael Carrick since
joining United in the summer of 2006.
He has developed into one of the finest midfielders in the
country and become an integral part of Sir Alex’s trophy-winning
Red machine, he’s the proud owner of three Barclays Premier League
titles, as well as Champions League and Club World Cup winners’
medals.
And ahead of European football’s showpiece final meeting with
Barcelona on Wednesday, the 27-year-old tells ManUtd.com he’s
determined to further boost his and United’s trophy haul…
In your opinion is this a final between the two best teams in
world football?
Yes, probably. The fact we’ve both won our respective leagues
certainly puts us up there as the best two sides in Europe. It’s
going to be a huge game and it’s one we’re all looking forward
to.
What kind of match are you expecting?
I’m not sure. We thought it would be very open and attacking when
we played them last season and in the end there was only one goal
over two legs. They can score and create chances at any time, but
we believe we can defend well and attack them. There could be a
bagful of goals or just one could be the difference – anything
could happen, but that’s what makes it such an interesting
game.
People talk about the threat of Messi, but the manager has
highlighted the dangers posed by Iniesta…
He’s definitely a big player for them. He’s had a great season and
scored a few goals, none more important than the one against
Chelsea in the semi-final which put them through to the final. I
know he’s had a bit of an injury recently, but I’m sure he’ll be
fit for Rome and it’ll be a big test to play against him because
he’s a really top player.
United can make history by becoming the first side to retain the
trophy – is that something you think about as players?
It’s a strange one really because you try not to think about things
too much, but at the back of your mind you know how special it
could be if we could do it. We’re determined to repeat the feeling
we had last season, it was something I’d never experienced before
in my life and it really was an unbelievable feeling. To do that
again would be incredible.
How big a boost is it to be going into the final as champions of
England?
It’s a great boost. Just knowing that you’ve been consistent over a
long period of time and have been good enough to finish on top of
the pile gives you a lot of belief. We’ve hit good form at the
right time and it’s important to reproduce that form on
Wednesday.
Darren Fletcher obviously misss the game through suspension –
how much do the players want to win it for him?
We’d love to. We’re all still devastated for Fletch, but hopefully
we can win it and go some way to making him a bit happier about the
situation.