'Blame me, no problem' - Carrick taking responsibility as pressure increases at Man United

by · The42

MICHAEL CARRICK KNOWS the level of scrutiny at Manchester United is as intense as it can get in football but insisted there is nowhere he would rather be.

Carrick has come under pressure this week after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time since taking charge in January, needing a result at Fulham on Sunday to avoid what could feel like a very long international break.

The disappointment of a controversial 1-0 derby defeat to Manchester City last weekend was amplified when United blew a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Brighton in the Carabao Cup.

With only four points from their first four league games and having already seen the first opportunity of silverware this season gone, the inquests have begun in the media with the odds on Carrick losing his job before Christmas being slashed.

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The 45-year-old has repeatedly shrugged off what is seen as outside noise, knowing from his long playing career at Old Trafford how every issue can quickly become amplified at United.

“It’s the beauty of being here at this football club,” Carrick said. “There’s great times, there’s things you can achieve and there’s great feelings, and there’s obviously the disappointments, and sometimes the smaller disappointments lead to being a little bit bigger.

“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, so the times when it’s maybe not going to plan, that’s sometimes the best time to work your way through, find out a few things and come out an awful lot stronger.”

United’s slow start has reopened the debate regarding their summer transfer business. United spent £135million to bring in three new midfielders, but did not address the lack of depth at left-back – an issue in the past week as Luke Shaw has been out with a thigh injury.

But Carrick has refused to point the finger at others – whether the players or those higher up at the club – for the issues affecting them.

“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “It’s my responsibility. I’m fine with that. It’s not a blame game.

“We all search for things to look at and point at, and somebody or whatever reason it may be and find a blame, and sometimes it gets almost like too much of a thing of wanting to find someone to blame or something to blame.

“Blame me, no problem. I’ll take the responsibility, whatever it is, but it’s not about blaming people, it’s about for us…finding solutions and being better, and that’s as a whole football club, as a group of players, as staff, as owners, supporters, it’s a whole collective thing…

“I’m totally happy taking responsibility, absolutely no problem with that, it doesn’t bother me. I just know where we want to get to and we want to get there fast.”

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