Carrick calls for more of the same

Manchester United FC may have won the midfield battle in the first leg of their semi-final against Arsenal FC but Michael Carrick knows that they have to go out and do it all over again in north London on Tuesday night.

Key role
United's midfield three of Carrick, Anderson and Darren Fletcher played a key role in United's deserved 1-0 victory at Old Trafford last Wednesday. England midfielder Carrick believes they will have to touch the same heights to subdue opponents who will be going for broke at the Arsenal Stadium, where they are unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League.

'Fast and intense'
"The midfield is a key department, the game can be won and lost in that area, last week we played pretty well especially in the first half and did some of the things we set out to achieve so I was quite satisfied in that respect," Carrick said. "But we have to start afresh tomorrow and do the right things all over again. We know the job we have to do and I am sure it will be a very fast and intense game and a good one to watch. Hopefully it is a good footballing game but we won't be carried away with the occasion; we know what we want to do and will go about our business."

No guarantees
This is the third successive semi-final for Carrick since he joined United from Tottenham Hotspur FC in 2006. For Arsenal it is only the second in their history – and only three of their young squad played starting roles in that previous appearance at this stage in 2006. Carrick hopes the extra experience may help United – but admits it offers no guarantees of success at a venue where they lost 2-1 in the Premier League in November. "You get a bit of experience that obviously helps, but with it being a one-off game tomorrow night, who knows, it can go either way. They have very good players not only in midfield but throughout the team."

Ferdinand return
What will help United, Carrick believes, is the expected return of Rio Ferdinand to their starting lineup after he limped out of the first leg with a rib injury. Sir Alex Ferguson said the defending champions would require the same defensive discipline they showed in winning 1-0 at FC Porto in the quarter-finals and Carrick – who started his career in the same West Ham United FC side as Ferdinand in the late 90s – knows the centre-back's presence will be vital. "He has grown and he has got the experience now," he said. "He has played at the top level for a number of years and has got a presence. Certain players in the squad have that presence and he does make a difference when he is there, he talks a lot and he has got bags of ability and is just a top-class player."