Manchester United boss Michael Carrick still has his "own questions" over the Manchester City case which he says "affected me personally".

There is a clamour among some for Manchester City to be stripped of their silverware and also be relegated after they were found guilty of multiple Premier League financial rule breaches .

The 45-year-old was on the pitch at Sunderland when he learned City had won their first Premier League title in 2012 thanks to Sergio Aguero's legendary injury time match winner.

He was still part of Jose Mourinho's squad when United finished runners-up to Pep Guardiola's City side in 2018 and was part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's coaching staff when it happened again in 2020-21.

However, Carrick says getting a title winners' medal years after the event would not make up for missing out at the time.

"In football, the strive to win, the emotion and the feeling about winning, a lot of it is in the moment," he said.

"You can't take that back. It's the moment you strive for. That's essentially what we're all in it for. That's the feeling we all crave.

"The beauty of trying to win trophies is a little bit the journey towards it and then the finale. Does it go for you, does it go against you? Once that's done, there's no getting that back in any direction.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "I've got my own questions on Man City case - Carrick" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Champions League metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

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