Every word of Michael Carrick’s West Ham pre-match press conference | OneFootball

Michael Carrick has been speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow night’s Premier League clash with West Ham at the London Stadium.

The interim Manchester United manager is looking to make it five wins in his first five games but faces a tricky test in an away fixture that has often provided an unwelcome surprise over the years.

Clean Sheets

Carrick was first asked what he has been doing defensively to help United keep clean sheets. He must be delighted with the one earned against Spurs?

He replied: “Yeah, it’s pleasing for sure. I think it’s a lot …easier to win games without having to score so many goals every week, for sure. We do seem to be a team that can cause a lot of problems and create opportunities and score goals, so it’s definitely getting the balance right.”

“There’s still things to improve on. It’s definitely something we focused on, of trying to be better as a team collectively when we don’t have the ball. But in three or four weeks, we’re not going to fix everything and all of a sudden look perfect. So it’s understanding that a little bit. But I think the boys have responded really well to what we’ve asked them. And the clean sheet, as much as today, the clean sheet was important for us.”

On Tuesday’s opponents

The next question was “What challenge does a team like West Ham pose for you? Obviously, they’re fighting relegation towards the bottom of the table. Is it a different challenge to approach?”

Carrick answered: “I think you’ve got to go into the game understanding the situation of both teams. We’ve tried to paint that picture to the players in every game we’ve played so far, and it’ll be the same come Tuesday night. The type of game, the feel of the game, what skills we’re going to have to try and draw on, different games, they throw up different things.”

“For sure, teams towards the bottom of the league are really fighting for things, but so are we. We got to fight for it. You’d like to think that balances out in some ways, and it’s who can come out on top at the end of it. But sure, we’re totally aware of what we’re going into on Tuesday night and how difficult it will be.”

What does he make of West Ham under Nuno Espirito Santo?

“It’s this bit of change, I think injuries as well has made it difficult,” he answered. “I think they’re very good on transition, very dangerous. Got some really good attacking players. We’ve looked at them already and have an idea with that as they would have done for us. But yeah, they’re a threat. They’re a threat. When they get up a head of steam at home, they’re a dangerous team. Definitely got to be ready to cope with all that.”

Not getting carried away

The BBC’s Simon Stone then asked: “You’ve said in virtually every press conference that you won’t get carried away. You won’t allow people to get carried away. When you took over at Middlesbrough, you won a lot of matches. There were a couple of defeats, but you won a lot of matches. Is there anything from that period that you can learn about this period and keeping focused and maintaining your sights on the next game and not getting carried away? Because it’s an easy thing to say.”

The boss answered: “It is a really easy thing to say. Listen, part of it, you’ve got to enjoy the buzz of winning, right? You have to. That’s what we’re in it for. You’ve got to manage the highs of it and you got to enjoy it. Initially, the feeling of winning a game. You can’t just be flatlined the whole time. But certainly going into the next game, you got to then regroup and prepare again for what’s next. But you definitely take the confidence and the feeling from the games that you’ve had, knowing you can go into the next game with a little bit more feel-good factor about it.”

“But I guess the big challenge is knowing what’s got you there and all the hard work and the preparation and then what it takes to win a game of football at this level is tough. So never assuming the next one is just going to be all right. But you’ve still got to allow yourself to feel a little bit of waves of emotion with it because it would be a little bit boring and pointless, if you didn’t really, to be honest. Winning games is what we’re all striving for. The boys have been good with that, though. They’ve managed it really well and had the high of the win, come back into training and focus on the next one. We’ve got to keep that going.”

“You weren’t doing what your own manager used to do, though?” asked Stone. “Give the players a — even when they’ve won a game?”

“There’s a time and a place for everything, Simon,” he replied.

Bruno Fernandes’ comments

The next question was: “Bruno said on TV after the game that you remember what he said to you last time you were manager, that you were going to be a great manager and he still believes it. Can you remember what he said to you last time you were in charge about that? How does it make you feel to hear someone like that talk about you in that way?”

The Wallsend man replied: “I’ve known Bruno for quite some time. I know him pretty well. Seeing him the odd time, the time when the I’ve left the club and bumped into him at times. So I’ve got a really good relationship with him. I understand how much… he’s a really intelligent footballer. He’s bright. He cares a lot for this club. So in terms of that side of it, we all want the same thing.”

“So it’s obviously nice when players that you respect, as I do with Bruno a lot, says good things about you. But ultimately, it’s about the team, getting the best out of the team. Actually, that’s all working together. Time will tell. It’s not about judging how good or successful at this moment of time, because nothing’s really happened yet. We’ve hopefully got a lot more to do between now and the end of the season and see what happens after that.”

Injury Update

The manager was then asked about team news for the West Ham game.

“Mason [Mount] will be probably not [be ready] for Tuesday, probably after, but definitely he’s going into the Everton game, he’ll be back. Matt [de Ligt], we’ll see how he develops over the… The Everton game feels like a long time away at the moment. We’ll see how he develops, but he’s positive. He’s moving in the right direction, but Mason is a little bit closer to the game.”

The next reporter asked Carrick about the fan “United Strand” who has vowed not to cut his hair until United win five in a row.

“I can say I’m aware of it. My kids have made me aware of it, if anything,” he smiled. “But it certainly won’t go into the team talk from a professional level, but I can understand what’s going on with it. It does make me smile, but it won’t have an impact, ultimately, in the end.”

Creative Freedom

A reporter then noted the freedom of movement that Carrick seemed to be affording his front four players.

“Yeah, within reason, as long as we carry out the roles properly;” he said. “I mean, it’s not a total free for all where you can go and decide. It’s a little bit of where you end up. Bruno’s that type where he understands the different roles and plays them particularly well again. Bryan [Mbeumo] has done very similar. To be honest, Matheus as well, playing sometimes through the middle, sometimes off the left. So it does give us the variety. I think they’re all suited to different roles. Amad is probably more of natural being wide. So that’s a little bit more predictable, if you like. But the flexibility certainly helps as long as we look after the positions when we don’t have the ball.”

Tuesday’s match kicks off at 8.15pm GMT.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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