{"id":10958,"date":"2026-10-23T15:56:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T15:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=10958"},"modified":"2026-10-23T15:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T15:56:14","slug":"carrick-accepts-blame-for-man-united-slump-but-confident-of-a-turnaround-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=10958","title":{"rendered":"Carrick accepts blame for Man United slump, but \u2018confident\u2019 of a turnaround | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 31 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Manchester United make worst start to a season in 40 years, but Michael Carrick \u2018confident\u2019 ahead of Bournemouth game.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Published On 23 Oct 2026<\/span>23 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick mounted an impassioned defence of \u2060\u2060his leadership on Friday, accepting responsibility \u2060\u2060for the club\u2019s collapse in form and saying he remains convinced he can lead the team out of their current crisis.<\/p>\n

Carrick\u2019s position is under increasing pressure after United extended their winless run to seven matches in all competitions with Wednesday\u2019s humiliating 4-1 \u2060\u2060Champions League defeat at Como leaving them 20th in the table with three points.<\/p>\n

\n

Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

Before taking questions ahead of Sunday\u2019s Premier League home game against Bournemouth, Carrick delivered an emotional opening statement, acknowledging supporters\u2019 frustrations and the scale of the challenge facing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently, we haven\u2019t had a good time. I think that\u2019s \u2060\u2060pretty obvious. So I totally accept what we\u2019re going through at the moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had five months of relative success [last season] in a spell where I was happy with a lot of things I was seeing and that we were doing as a team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t done well enough lately. We\u2019ve had a spell that we\u2019re really not happy with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrick described the loss in Italy as one of the most painful nights of his tenure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWednesday was a bad \u200c\u200cnight. It was a bad night for a lot of reasons. It hurt a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt obviously hurt me to see us play that way. As I said after the game, it was really unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The defeat intensified scrutiny of Carrick after captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to question United\u2019s tactical approach in his post-match comments.<\/p>\n

Dressing room cracks for Carrick after Fernandes outburst<\/h2>\n

Asked whether public criticism from players suggested cracks within the dressing room, Carrick rejected any suggestion the squad was split.<\/p>\n

He also sidestepped questions over Fernandes\u2019 future as captain and declined to reveal whether he had held talks with the Portugal midfielder following the defeat.<\/p>\n

Instead, he stressed that his priority was restoring an identity that has disappeared from the side in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy responsibility is to \u2060\u2060get a team on the pitch that represents this football club, represents the supporters and they can be proud \u2060\u2060of it with the identity that we show,\u201d Carrick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have gone away from that just recently in certain games, which I\u2019m fully aware of and definitely doing something about.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reserved special mention for United\u2019s fans, many of whom travelled to Como only to watch their side suffer the heaviest defeat of his reign.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe supporters are a huge part of this \u2060\u2060football club. They have to make the effort and the time and money they spend, to feel how we all felt on Wednesday was a tough moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Carrick defiant as Man United form slides<\/h2>\n

Despite growing speculation about his future, Carrick struck a \u2060\u2060defiant tone, saying he remained confident United could rediscover the energy and connection that characterised \u2060\u2060last season\u2019s performances.<\/p>\n

He took over in January 2026 after the sacking of Ruben Amorim and oversaw a remarkable turnaround, steering United to a top-three finish and Champions League qualification.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor [the fans] to feel like they felt for five months at the start of the year \u2026 is something we need to get back to. We will get back to it. I fully believe that,\u201d said \u200c\u200cCarrick.<\/p>\n

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is among the names linked<\/a> with United\u2019s managerial job, although the 57-year-old Italian said on Friday he had not had any negotiations \u201cat an advanced stage\u201d with any club.<\/p>\n

Carrick acknowledged that United had lost their way but said responsibility rested squarely with him.<\/p>\n

He ended \u200c\u200chis \u200c\u200copening remarks by saying it was his duty to get the club back on course, describing his role as \u201cholding the umbrella for me to get wet and everyone else to stay dry\u201d.<\/p>\n

United are 13th in the Premier League standings on seven points, while Bournemouth are a point behind them in 15th.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Manchester United make worst start to a season in 40 years, but Michael Carrick \u2018confident\u2019 ahead of Bournemouth game. Published On 23 Oct 202623 Oct 2026 Manchester United manager Michael Carrick mounted an impassioned defence of \u2060\u2060his leadership on Friday, accepting responsibility \u2060\u2060for the club\u2019s collapse in form and saying he remains convinced he can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t