Michael Carrick demands Premier League rule change ahead of Newcastle vs Man Utd | Football | Sport

Michael Carrick has urged the Premier League to take action against wrestling at set-pieces and says penalty-area tussles have “gone too far”, with Manchester United featuring in recent matches that have highlighted the issue. Both Arsenal and Everton have tested United’s young goalkeeper Senne Lammens from corner kicks throughout Carrick’s seven-match tenure, with the Belgian displaying impressive composure to handle the physical challenges presented.

Lammens stated last week that set-piece confrontations had become “war” in the Premier League this season, with the mayhem inside the six-yard box at the Hill Dickinson Stadium proving that. The matter resurfaced this weekend, as Arsenal‘s 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday was determined entirely by goals scored from corners. Carrick believes the balance has now been lost and suggested the Premier League ought to address it.

“I think it’s gone too far,” he said. “It wasn’t long ago where we were told that you couldn’t really lay a hand on anybody in the box, and it was going to be stamped out and clamped down on.

“And it’s crept in, it’s gotten stronger, I obviously think the success of set pieces, corners in particular, probably in terms of being able to put so many bodies close together, has made more teams do it because the success rate is so high.

“It’s understandable why there’s so many teams trying it and doing it. But in terms of it as a game, it doesn’t feel like we’ve kind of got that balance right.

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“So I don’t know what [they] do about it. It’s not for me to decide that, really, but in the meantime, you’ve got to deal with what’s in front of you, and if it’s allowed, then you’ve gotta play to it.”

United have secured victory in both matches where physical battles in the penalty area have been prominent, with Carrick collecting 19 points from a potential 21 during his tenure, though he maintains the upturn in results hasn’t caught him off guard.

“I wouldn’t use the word surprise, I think you always strive to win games,” he remarked. “Every game is winnable. I think both teams will come into it and think the same thing. If you can stay with that and go step by step, try and be consistent with it and then we feel we give ourselves a chance at doing that.”