‘Is there?’ manager retorts when told of talk over position
Bizarre 4-4 draw with Villa leaves United in bottom three
A tetchy Michael Carrick dismissed a suggestion he could resign as head coach for the good of the team after Sunday’s chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa left Manchester United in the relegation zone heading into the international window.
Carrick’s side sit in 18th place with eight points from 10 games and have won only once, in August at home to Ipswich, in the league this season. It is now a club record eight Premier League games without a win.His job remains in the balance due to the dismal run of form.
Carrick was asked on Sky Sports if he was considering his position. “I’m not,” said the 45-year-old, who was curt when the interviewer said that it was clear there would be conversations regarding his future before United’s next game, which is away to Liverpool on 22 November.
“Is there?” he replied. “You’re telling me. I’m quite clear with what direction the club needs to go in, and it’s got to win games. We haven’t won enough games, but I expect to move forward and keep working on the things that we’ve been working on and showing a lot of the good in the game today, tighten up on a few mistakes and win football matches.”
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Carrick insisted he is seeing enough in United’s play. “Yeah, 100%. I think there’s more than enough,” he said. “Goals change games and you’ve got to deal with it, and it’s part of something we have to improve on drastically, but there’s more than enough. We’re just making it too difficult for ourselves at the moment in certain times.”
Villa scored after 59 seconds through Alysson before Nicolas Jackson gave them a 2-0 lead after just four minutes – with goalkeeper Senne Lammens culpable for both goals.
Despite Bruno Fernandes, from the penalty spot, and Youri Tielemans pulling United back all square by the break, further mistakes from Diogo Dalot and Leny Yoro allowed John McGinn and Leon Goretzka to make it 4-2 to Villa. Dalot’s clumsy foul on Alysson conceded a penalty that McGinn converted and Yoro’s header towards his own goal led to Villa’s messy fourth for Goretzka.
In stoppage time, goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu rescued an unlikely point for United.
When Dalot was replaced in the second half, the makeshift left-back was jeered by some United fans. The manager was asked if he could understand the supporters’ reaction. Carrick said: “We’ve got to be careful with that, I understand the frustration of the supporters, so I get it. We’re all frustrated, we’re all disappointed, and the players are as much as anyone, I guarantee you that. Diogo, he gives absolutely everything.”
Unai Emery was also left upset, Villa’s manager suggesting that Dorgu’s 96th-minute headed equaliser should not have stood as Lammens, up for a last-gasp corner, knocked into his opposite number, Zion Suzuki. Emery said: “How we lost [our way] the last six minutes at the time, conceding two goals is very frustrating. The keeper, as well, is adapting but he still has work to do and how we have to defend when they are blocking us. In another country, maybe it’s a foul but here it’s not.
“I am disappointed but we move on. I have to analyse this match. It is very important to analyse deeply. First half, we started very good, but they were pushing. We were resilient. We tried to change. We started very well, scoring two goals again.”
