Manchester United have endured their worst league start in 40 years, yet Michael Carrick insists he is “loving it”. United arrived in Madrid without Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw, both of whom picked up knocks in the weekend draw against Tottenham, and with their coach admitting the team are in “a spot” — but he vowed they would “come out fighting”.
United have collected just six points in the Premier League so far, and their domestic struggles have also included an exit from the Carabao Cup against Brighton at Old Trafford. There has been one clear high point, however: a convincing win over Sabah in their Champions League opener last month. Carrick’s side now face Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday in the second round of games in the Champions League league phase.
Carrick framed the difficult period as part of a longer process. “To do something good, to do something great, you have got to be able to do something difficult,” he said. “We hoped for a lot more, we expected a lot more, and we are where we are. I was aware that, winning as many as we had [last season], it was going to get more challenging, stickier. I understand that when it is not going well there is a real clamour and a feeling that it’s a disaster, that it’s all wrong and that everything needs to be changed. I kind of get that, but that’s not our mindset and it’s certainly not mine. You have to deal with things and overcome them. That is what I did throughout my career. We have to accept reality but we are building and you can’t lose sight of the journey.”
On the question of pressure, Carrick was adamant he does not feel it. “It depends on how you define ‘pressure’. There is our own expectation: we know what we want, what we are capable of and that comes from us. I don’t look outside. I don’t feel the pressure from that at all,” he said. “I’m pretty good at shutting off, to be honest; closing off and living a little bit in my bubble. And I think that’s what we do as a group. We look after each other, we all know what’s out there and it’s about managing it, controlling it and staying focused on what we can do. It is about us wanting to succeed, to win. That’s the drive. There is no negativity.”
He added that the squad’s resolve is what he is drawing on. “We need to do something about it now and accept the reality. I love this part of it: sometimes when it’s not quite going for you, you see who’s really there… The supporters are there: they know what they want, they’re desperate for it, and we’ve got to give them something. You have to embrace the challenge. I totally believe that we’ll work through it.” As he spoke about building, there was a reminder of how Arsenal, the champions, finished “seventh or eighth” in Mikel Arteta’s first two seasons.
Carrick also backed his captain, Bruno Fernandes, to rediscover his form, revealing that the midfielder had been “carrying something”. “I think it’s pretty obvious to say that he can, yeah. I mean, he’s a top player, Bruno. Sometimes things don’t quite go for you, but he’s done some incredible things for this football club and he will do the same in the future, there’s no doubt about that,” Carrick said. “People don’t maybe realise it, but it happens a lot: players play with issues. I probably played 80% of the games with some sort of issue. It’s not ideal, but it’s manageable. Bruno was able to play the games; that’s the commitment that he has. He’s pretty much over it. It’s not a major deal, he’s in good shape and he was really bright [in training] this morning, looking forward to the game.”