Michael Carrick Manchester United
Michael Carrick has told Manchester United’s players that they can still make a success of this season and win silverware as he prepares to hand over to interim manager Ralf Rangnick. Carrick’s spell as caretaker manager is expected to end after Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge to take on European champions and Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Michael Carrick said: “There’s plenty left in the season, there’s no doubt about that. Of course, with where we are in the league and the results we’ve had, it’s frustrating and disappointing, but there’s so much left in the season. The other night was massive to confirm we’ll be in the Champions League and finishing top of the group was huge, giving us something to look forward to. Over time, not just here but other clubs, you have bad spells, sometimes really bad spells, in a season and you can almost have another season within a season when things change. That’s form, that’s football and confidence, it’s how football goes at times. Striving for consistency is always the balance that you want to get. That’s the gold standard. Who’s to say that as a group of players they can’t go on a run again, they’ve proved over the last two or three years that they’re more than capable of going on a run and we’ll see where that takes us. But you need to take it step-by-step and start winning games and getting on a run and build momentum. Anything can happen after that.”
After a summer spending spree that saw Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo arrive at Old Trafford, United were tipped to challenge for the title under Solskjaer. But the season has unravelled rapidly and a run of seven defeats in 13 games ended with Solskjaer being dismissed last weekend. United already found themselves eight points behind Liverpool, nine adrift of Manchester City and 12 short of Chelsea and Carrick accepts there’s a divide there for now.
Michael Carrick said: “There’s no denying, at the moment, where the league is and so I’ve got to be realistic. It’s pretty obvious from the run of games. But it wasn’t that long ago that we finished second in the league and were on a really good curve of improvement and I don’t think that can be forgotten, in terms of the potential of the group (of players). Yes of course we’ve had a spell that’s not been good enough – results and performances at times. But that doesn’t mean it’s a poor team. It’s very different, having a poor run of results, to being a poor team. Plenty teams over recent years have had bad runs and bounced back. That’s the responsibility now of being at this club – it’s finding a way to get the best out of the team, the best out of the players and to win games again.”
