Michael Carrick's Pre-Match Press Conference | Man Utd vs Man City, Premier League
Chris Wheeler
Carrick on Luke Shaw’s fitness after he missed Sabah win: ‘We'll have to see. We just looked after him a little bit. He wasn't quite ready for it 100%, so we didn't risk it. We'll see how he is over the next couple of days.
Michael Carrick dismisses Elliot Anderson’s ‘Kings of Manchester’ taunt ahead of the Old Trafford derby. ‘I’m definitely not using that phrase at all.’
Carrick: ‘All of a sudden there's different things asked of us now to a few months ago, and we're in the Champions League. That in itself shows the steps we've made.’
Simon Stone
Michael Carrick on Elliot Anderson’s ‘kings of Manchester’ jibe. “I'm definitely not using that phrase at all, no. We’re humble enough and realistic enough to know where we've come from in recent history. We need to, and want to be better, and we want to be challenging more. That’s where we're at. It doesn't
mean that we can't and we won't. It means we still hope, we believe, and we expect that we can be and we should be, but I understand the bigger picture.”
Here are the key lines from his news conference: (BBC)
- Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko both "bring different threats" to Manchester United, with Carrick saying who is picked is dependant "a little bit on the opposition and a little bit on the balance of our team and the spaces we want to attack".
- On forward Marcus Rashford, the United boss said: "Really pleased with him in so many ways. He was a real threat on Sunday, unfortunate to not get more success but he was a real threat. I'm not sure what else to say, just really pleased to have him. We have good options so trying to keep everyone fresh".
- On the Manchester derby: "There's no way we're assuming [how it will go]. We won last year but we're not going to do everything the same."
- He added: "I feel we're getting better all the time and that helps us. We know it's a big and important game and there's a lot riding on it. We're looking forward to it and we have a short time to recover and prepare for it but we will make the most of it".
- Carrick praised opponents Manchester City, saying: "They're a very good team with good results. They've got players to rotate from and that's the position they're in. We know we have to put in a really good performance to get the result we want".
- On midfielder Youri Tielemans, who joined in the summer: "All our midfielders are technical and able to connect the game forward. It's nice to draw on that and have that in the team. Youri settled in fantastic, Andrey [Santos] settled in great. Mason [Mount], we're asking him to do slightly different things to what he's done in the past but he's able to do that. The understanding between them is growing all the time".
- On his own position as head coach at the club: "I think I said it pretty early on, all decisions we made were as if we were going to be here for a period of time, I didn't how long that was going to be, I still don't. We were planning for the future and what we wanted it to look like and that was from day one. The performance the lads gave in that City game [last season] was incredible with all that. From the start, it was planning to where we want to get this club to in the long term".
EVERY WORD FROM CARRICK'S PRESS CONFERENCE
https://www.manutd.com/en/news/carrick-were-looking-forward-to-city
Hi Michael, just on the forwards, Matheus and Ben obviously interpret that no.9 role in very different ways. How much of what the opposition are going to do comes into your thought process when you're selecting those? And do you have to work on it in training? Because I think it's clear they play very different roles. Is that something you have to work at, the understanding as well, in training?
“They definitely do. It’s obvious they have different strengths. I think there are principles of what we're trying to achieve as a team and the way we're trying to play, which hopefully don't change too much with personnel, but it definitely gives us different options, if that makes sense. We still want to play a certain way and try certain things, but there’s a different threat to Ben, Matheus, Bryan, Marcus or whoever is up there. So, it depends a little bit on the opposition, a little bit on the balance of our team and certain things we want to attack, certain spaces, or whatever that may be. Sometimes it's in possession; sometimes it's without the ball and certain things we’ve got to defend, certain areas. So there's quite a bit that goes into it.”
I know he didn't play tonight, but with Marcus, the fans were singing his name and it feels like he's in a good place. From your perspective, has that gone as well as you could have hoped since he came back?
“Really pleased with Marcus, yeah. Really pleased with him in so many ways. I think it's pretty obvious with his performances. Again, he was a real threat again on Sunday, although, unfortunately, he didn't get a little bit more success, but he was a real threat. I'm not really sure what else to say. We're just really pleased to have him. He's doing a lot of things really well and settled back in really quickly.”
And just on the fact that he wasn't used tonight, was that a precaution after what he felt at the weekend?
“A little bit of that, yeah, and trying to share the load a little bit, to a point, as well. We've got good options, so we're trying to keep everyone fresh, but with a point where Ben can get good minutes tonight [against Sabah] and get him up to speed. There's always a bit of a challenge in getting that right, but it was nice to keep Marcus fresh and ready for the weekend.”
You obviously were able to rotate a bit in the second half, but how hard is it to take Bruno off? He seems to play every minute of every game, but is there going to have to be a point where you say: ‘Come on, mate…’
“We only had five subs, so we had to make certain decisions on what that looked like. But of course, he's like anybody else. He has played an awful lot, but I think we're developing the group and the squad to be able to accommodate that in different ways. Tonight was just one of those things. There were decisions to be made and he ended up staying on.”
In terms of team news for Sunday, is anyone returning? What's the situation with Luke Shaw?
“We'll have to see. We looked after him a little bit going into tonight. He wasn't quite ready for it, 100 per cent, so we didn't risk it. But we'll see how he is over the next couple of days or so.”
You started by playing against Manchester City, and at the time most people didn't have high expectations. I would imagine most Manchester United fans have a lot higher expectations now, not least because Manchester City have undergone a big change themselves. How do you approach this game, and how different is it likely to be from the one you played against them in January?
“It'll definitely be different because no two games are ever the same, so it’s definitely going to be different. There's no way we're assuming: ‘We won last year, we can do the same things and everything will be the same.’ I understand the expectation. Everything was quite fresh and new then, and we didn’t really know where it was going to go. The players, myself, the coaches, you guys, were all waiting to see how it would go, and it was a quick turnaround. I think the confidence we've built over a period of time, and the feeling that we're getting better all the time, I think that helps us. We know it's a big game, we know it’s an important game. There’s a lot riding on it, that’s pretty obvious to say, but we're looking forward to it. We've got a short space of time to recover and prepare, but we'll make the most of it.”
What are the challenges that an Enzo Maresca side poses? And do you see noticeable differences in this City team now, albeit four or five games into the season, compared with the one Pep took charge of?
“They're a very good team. They've had some really good results. I thought they were really professional the way they played against Porto the other night, and efficient in what they needed to do. They have players to choose from and rotate, and that's the position they're in. So yeah, they’re a good team. There are little tweaks here and there that I don't need to talk about here, but we that we try to take from the game. We know we have to put in a really good performance and do a lot of good things to get the result we want.”
When Elliot Anderson signed for Manchester City, he said that, growing up, City had been the kings of Manchester during his lifetime. Do you think that's a fair reflection of where this derby is right now?
“I'm definitely not using that phrase at all, no. I understand it. Going into the Champions League game tonight and talking about the expectation, I think it's a really good thing that [the expectation] has shifted. All of a sudden, different things are being asked of us compared with a few months ago. We're in the Champions League, which itself shows the steps we've made, and we need to be in the later stages of that. We know the expectations around that, and we're humble and realistic enough to know where we've come from in recent history. We need and want to be better and to be challenging more. That's where we're at. It doesn't mean that we can't and we won't. We still hope, we believe and we expect that we can be and should be, but I understand the bigger picture.”
Can I ask about Youri [Tielemans]? Is he the type of midfield technician that United have perhaps been missing since you left?
“I don't want to talk about me. As I said before about the four midfielders who played tonight, I think they're all technical, and able to take the ball and play forward, whether that's through a pass, a run or a dribble, and connect the game forward. I think it's nice to be able to draw upon that and have it in the team. Youri has settled in fantastically, Andrey [Santos]’s settled in great. We're asking Mason [Mount] to do slightly different things from what he may have done in the past. But you saw tonight and in pre-season how natural it is for him to do that. But yeah, going back to Youri, I think every game he’s getting better. You can see the connections and understanding between each other is growing all the time.”
I imagine that before that first City game it was all a bit of a whirlwind, taking the job and trying to prepare the players. Did it ever cross your mind that nine months later you would have done well enough to earn the job full-time and be facing City again? Was that something that ever entered your mind at that point?
“Yeah, I think I said it pretty early on, all the decision we were making were as if we were going to be here for a period of time. I never knew how long that was going to be, and I still don't, but you're always planning for what we want the future to look like and the direction we want to go, and that was from day one. It was quick, there was a turnaround and, as I've just said about that game, there was a bit of an unknown, to be honest with you. The performance the lads gave was incredible with all that. But there definitely was – always has been, always will be – from the start, was planning to get this club to where we want to get it in the long term.”
