Michael Carrick don talk say Manchester United recent struggles no be ‘catastrophe or disaster’ and he dismiss talk about pressure on him as ‘ridiculous’.
E tok dis one after e side lose 1-0 for home to rivals Manchester City, then surrendered two-goal lead to crash out of Carabao Cup with 3-2 loss to Brighton at Old Trafford. Boos ring out from Stretford End as Carrick and him players waka off pitch.
United get only four points from opening four Premier League games. Dem need win at Fulham on Sunday to avoid heading into international break under mounting pressure, with feeling say another season fit already dey slip away. But Carrick call for perspective after back-to-back defeats put him under pressure just weeks into season.
Carrick say, ‘It’s not a catastrophe or a disaster. It’s not the end of the world. We’re not in the place where we’ve gone on an awful long run of horrific results, you know?’
He add say, ‘We’ve lost a couple of games recently and we feel like we’ve started and we’ve been in all the games that we’ve played, if not been the better team at the start of games, so it’s not like we’re having a real struggle all the time.’
‘We’ve done a lot of good things in them to put ourselves in really good positions in the games we’ve been in, so the belief certainly comes from that.’
‘Of the good things that we’ve done, that gets totally lost in some ways in the surrounding feeling, but it doesn’t get lost by us.’
Carrick win 12 of him 17 games in charge last season, but United don already suffer defeat to newly promoted Hull this campaign, been pegged back twice in 2-2 draw at Everton, and fallen to City side wey had Phil Foden sent off in 23rd minute last weekend. Wednesday defeat to Brighton na first time United lose at home after taking 2-0 lead since 1976.
‘History tells you that any team that’s successful goes through periods when you have to come through it and improve,’ Carrick add. ‘We’ve had a small period when it hasn’t been exactly what we want it to be.’
‘I was expecting a point when we would go through it, it was going to come. There was going to be a time when you don’t get everything out of it that you want. It’s how you work through it, how you react, keep doing the right things and believe you will come through it.’
Since taking charge last January, Carrick maintain calm demeanour and this week insist say pressure no affect him. Asked if X-rated chants from Stretford End on Wednesday night hurt am personally, Carrick say: ‘We don’t like losing matches. It’s not like I don’t feel the emotion, but it doesn’t affect what we do next.’
Bookmakers don reflect growing scrutiny on Carrick by cutting odds on him losing him job before Christmas, but the 45-year-old insist say prospect never cross him mind. ‘In terms of the future and the [club] ownership and how long I’ve got, it’s ridiculous to think that way in the position I’m in,’ he talk. ‘It’s just not on the radar.’
Carrick approach don come under staunch criticism following United recent struggles. Dem rank among teams covering least distance and recording fewest sprints, statistic wey reflect in number of uninspiring performances. United also struggle when dominating possession, with results suggesting dem often pick up more points when dem get less of ball.
Asked about their difficulties in possession, Carrick tell Sky Sports: ‘I don’t think it’s a major deal, really. We are capable of playing in different ways; I think we’ve shown that. From last season, when we came in, playing a certain way, we ended up scoring a lot of goals. We’ve scored a good number of goals this season in different ways.’
‘The beauty of it is we can play different styles; we’ve done that already this season, in different ways. You always try to have as many strings and weapons as you can.’
Carrick also place little emphasis on having defined style of play, suggesting say difficulty opponents get to read United intentions fit be advantage. ‘I quite like the fact that someone can’t work out our identity, to be honest,’ Carrick add. ‘That means you’re unpredictable. From an attacking sense, we want to be unpredictable. We don’t want people to be able to read what we are going to do next or what our main strength is. If we can do a good number of things well and attack from a number of areas, I’d rather have a team that does that.’
‘We’ve attacked well since January, scored a good number of goals and being unpredictable is a good thing.’
For BBC side, Carrick talk say e go be ‘ridiculous’ to start thinking how long e get left in job after ‘two or three’ bad results. Him side visit Fulham on Sunday after awful week. After United lose at home to Manchester City side reduced to 10 men after 23 minutes, Brighton become first side to come from two goals down to win at Old Trafford in 50 years in their Carabao Cup tie. United supporters respond to midweek setback with boos and by chanting against their team.
Carrick say in aftermath say he ‘not bothered’ by pressure – sentiment he reinforce as he speak to media before Fulham trip. ‘I know the club, I know the role, I know what’s expected here in terms of playing to a certain standard and achieving certain things on the pitch,’ he add. ‘I get all that.’
‘In terms of future and ownership and how long I’ve got in the job, that’s totally not in my thinking. It’s ridiculous to think that way in the position I’m in, that’s just not on the radar.’
‘It’s two or three games. It’s two or three games too many because I really hate losing, but that doesn’t mean the world caves in. In some minds it does, it can’t for us.’
There has been no sense from senior figures inside United say Carrick position under threat. Dem more focused on perceived under performance of so many players given 12 games out of 17 wey dem win under 45-year-old over second half of last season. By contrast, dem get two victories from six games so far, against newly promoted Ipswich – when dem had to come from behind – and Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK in Champions League.
‘It’s not a catastrophe or a disaster,’ Carrick say. ‘It’s not the end of the world.’
Yet na measure of noise around club of United size wey often feel that way. Carrick accept say issues at Old Trafford frequently amplified, so dem look bigger than dem actually be. Despite this, he love him job – and club wey he serve with distinction as player, and begin him coaching career.
‘There’s great feelings, and there’s obviously disappointments, and sometimes the smaller disappointments lead to being a little bit bigger,’ he add. ‘It’s just part of coping and being at this great football club.’
‘I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, genuinely.’
‘It’s the best place for me to be, in part because of the times when it’s maybe not going to plan. Sometimes they are best times to work your way through, to find out a few things and come out an awful lot stronger.’
Externally, inquests tend to focus around recruitment – or lack of it, specifically at left-back – United finances and debt levels, Carrick relative inexperience and, other than assistant boss Steve Holland, that of him coaches.
‘It’s not a blame game,’ Carrick say, who reveal Luke Shaw and new signing Carlos Baleba ‘have a chance’ of being fit for Craven Cottage meeting. ‘We all search for things to look at and point at, or whatever reason it may be and find a blame. Blame me. No problem. I will take the responsibility.’
‘But it’s not about blaming people. It’s about us, it’s about us finding solutions and being better. That’s as a whole football club.’
