Michael Carrick insists he feels no extra pressure because of Manchester UnitedThe sad start to the Premier League season.
They were united kept the tie 1-1 at home to 10-man Tottenham on Saturday, Dominic Solanke equalized late on for Spurs despite Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card, Bryan Mbeumo looked to have put Carrick’s men on course for victory.
The red devils got it right six points from their first six Premier League games, marking their worst start to a league season since the 1986-87 campaign.
More worrying than the result against Tottenham was the nature of the performance at Old Trafford, where United were second best for long periods and thankful for Spurs’ disintegration in the final third.
The display increased scrutiny on Carrick in his first season as permanent manager after an excellent interim spell last term.
United boss: I love it when it goes against you
But Carrick, who confirmed United will be without Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, is undeterred by the seemingly mounting external pressure.
In his pre-match press conference, Carrick said: “It depends on how you define pressure. We know what we want and what we expect.
“That comes from us. I know what it looks like, I don’t feel the pressure of it, I want to win and be successful. There’s no negativity, we’re accepting the challenge.”
“There are going to be times when it’s a struggle and if you can’t do something difficult and get through it, you’re not going to make it.
“It’s fine lines. We didn’t start well the other day. The goals we conceded at the end should have been avoidable, but they’re good margins.”
Asked if he was surprised by how quickly things have gone wrong, Carrick said: “We expected a lot more. I knew there was going to be a period where it would get stickier. That’s part of it.
“It is a journey, there will have been times when Atlético has not gone as planned, it has been successful but not everything has gone in one direction.
“I understand people think it’s a mess, but that’s not in our mindset. You have to be able to deal with it.
“The last three goals we conceded we could have done something with them. That might be the difference. I love that part when it goes against you. The fans are there and we have to give them something. We’ll get through it.”
“They (the players) care. We’re here to test ourselves. If you don’t want to go deeper, it’s not your place.
“I’ve seen it behind closed doors and in the locker room. It’s a big week, two tough games but we’re really looking forward to them. We’ll come out fighting.”
United visit Leeds United in another test league game on Sunday, with injuries to left-back Shaw and midfielder Mainoo far from ideal for Carrick’s side as they face a difficult week.
“They haven’t traveled, they both picked up problems in the game at the weekend, so they’re out,” Carrick said of the pair.
On striker Benjamin Sesko, who has not featured since the EFL Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on September 16 with a shin problem, Carrick explained: “We’re still waiting for a few more tests. We have to be on top of it. We don’t have a deadline (for his return).
