Manchester United have endured their worst league start in 40 years but Michael Carrick insists he is “loving it”. United arrived in Madrid without Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw, who both picked up knocks in the draw against Tottenham at the weekend, and with the coach admitting that his team are in “a spot”, but he vowed that they would “come out fighting”.
Despite collecting just six points in the Premier League so far, Carrick claimed he did not feel under pressure and backed his captain, Bruno Fernandes, who he revealed was still “carrying something”, to rediscover his form. As he talked about building, there was a reminder too of the fact that Arsenal, the champions, finished “seventh or eighth” in Mikel Arteta’s first two seasons.
“To do something good, to do something great, you have got to be able to do something difficult,” said Carrick, whose side take on Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium in the second round of games in the Champions League league phase on Tuesday.
“We hoped for a lot more, we expected a lot more, and we are where we are,” Carrick added. “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 pressure he is under, Carrick said: “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.
“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. It’s also fine lines sometimes. We are hugely confident and we have confidence in each other. I have the utmost confidence in the boys that we can win a lot of games.
“[That’s] because I know them, I know how much they care, I know how strong the group is. And, anyway, you’ve got no choice: that’s why we’re here. We’re here to test ourselves and that’s the opportunity that’s in front of us. If you haven’t got that little bit in you where maybe it’s a little bit crazy times but you actually love the challenge and really want to dig deep to find the answers, then this is not the place for you.”
Despite the poor domestic start, which also included exiting the Carabao Cup against Brighton at Old Trafford, Carrick’s side did win their Champions League opener convincingly against Sabah last month.
“We need to do something about it now and accept the reality,” Carrick said. “I love this part of it: sometimes when it’s not quite going for you, you see who’s really there. You see within the group, the squad, the club, who’s really there and who wants to be there for the long term, [who] is really attached to it and [for whom it] really means something. 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.”
Asked if he believed that Fernandes could recover his form, Carrick said: “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. I’ve seen that a lot was made of [his fitness]. He was carrying something.
“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 he 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.”
