Wayne Rooney chat planned as Michael Carrick prepares Middlesbrough for Sunderland

Michael Carrick is planning to speak with his former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney ahead of Boro's trip to Sunderland
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Michael Carrick was planning to speak with his former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney as he prepared his Middlesbrough side for their trip to Sunderland.

Last weekend, Rooney did what no other Championship boss had done so far this season and orchestrated a victory over Regis Le Bris' side, ending the Black Cats' winning run at the start of the new season. Ahead of the Wear-Tees derby, Carrick had already exchanged some messages with the Plymouth Argyle boss after their 3-2 victory.

Asked if he might turn to his good friend for some pre-match advice, Carrick said: “We’ve exchanged a couple of messages and I’ll speak to him more at some point. It was a big result for them, so I was pleased for Wayne. It was an important result for them.

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"In terms of what we take from it, Sunderland have largely been consistent in the games they’ve played and you can see how they’re trying to play - the patterns and consistencies within the game. We’ve got a decent idea of how they approach things, but it doesn’t mean that makes it any easier to play against.”

Carrick will naturally do his own research and analysis work on the opposition, as is standard before any game. Having such a close friend so recently beat Sunderland with a successful second-half turnaround can only be of benefit to add to the insight he can gain on Saturday's opponents though.

All that said, the Boro boss is well aware that Sunderland could spring a tactical surprise as they look to bounce back from their first defeat - with Le Bris discussing his own studying of Boro's style of play. With that in mind, Carrick says analysis work can only stretch so far, as he instead holds confidence in his belief his players will react positively to whatever is put in front of them.

“I’d like to think we can adapt and play different ways in different scenarios," Carrick continued. "Sometimes we’ll have a lot of the ball and we’ve got to try and break teams down, other times we’ll attack from deep and be a bit more in transition because you’re defending a bit more.

"We work on that as a team and as a group to find the answers for whatever is thrown at us. We’ll see how the game pans out. They’re a good team and there’s a challenge ahead of us, so we’ve got to find a way to adapt.”

The last time the two sides met at the Stadium of Light, Boro recorded a club-record victory on Wearside in the Football League as they capitalised on Dan Neil's red card to win 4-0. Carrick would love a repeat, but in the build-up to this next meeting, is leaving memories of that game firmly in the past.

“I think you need to be careful, and certainly from me, not to expect," he said. "People have been talking to me about last year and that was a good day for us but going into Saturday, it doesn’t mean a lot. The experience that lads will take from it, understanding what the day is going to bring and how it’s going to feel, the atmosphere…

"But in terms of what’s happened in the past, it will have no relevance whatsoever. We’ve got to have our eyes wide open to what Sunderland can bring, obviously they’ve got fresh ideas and a new coach, so we have to be ready for that. But certainly, we are up for it and will be going there looking for a positive result.”