Michael Carrick backs himself to turn Manchester United around | Paper Talk

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Sky Sports News Paper Talk: Can Carrick's defiant press conference turn Manchester United around?

The show focuses on Michael Carrick's emotional and defiant press conference, debating whether he can turn United around, whether Bruno Fernandes should be dropped, and links between Fabian Hürzeler and the Old Trafford job. The guests disagree on whether Carrick's public message can work, with one seeing a rallying effect and another a last resort; the programme also covers Vincent Kompany's hospital scare and Bukayo Saka's injury, and Carrick is seen as needing a result against Bournemouth on Sunday.

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Transcript

and Ian Ladyman from the Daily Mail. Welcome to you both gents. Let's run you through the back pages. What are we going to talk about? I wonder. Let's start with the Express. Fella with the umbrella. their headline after Michael Carrick claimed in an emotional news conference that he was willing to hold the umbrella and get wet if it meant keeping others dry. Back pages are having an absolute field day with that particular quote. Volley with the broly is the headline in the mirror. Plus news of an injury blow for Arsenal's Bio Saka. Slightly different take on the umbrella analogy from the star. Broly with the Wallally is their headline. Plus, the shock news that Bayern Munich manager Vincent company has been admitted to hospital after collapsing at the club's training ground. The former City defender had been struggling with a virus earlier this week. Yep. More from Carrick on the back of the mail as he claims United have lost their way. The Sun also carry quotes from Carrick saying his players need to show desire or leave. They also report on Fabian Herzma's future who has seemed to commit his future to Brighton despite those links to Manchester United. And in the Telegraph they cover the Bruno Fernandez angle of the United Saga Carrick in Fernandez axe threat they say. Once again, I am starting paper talk about Manchester United as we've pretty much done this entire week. Ian, Lori, great to have you back on. Lori, let me come to you first as we look at the Daily Express once again. Fella with the umbrella. Carrick says he's the man to give United shelter from the storm. This was an absolutely extraordinary press conference. Lori, you were there. give us a sense of the feeling, how Michael Carrick looked, whether he was emotional, and have you ever been part of a press conference like that before? >> Uh, I haven't cuz I wasn't lucky enough uh obviously Ian was back in the day to experience some of Alex Ferguson's press conferences where I think he did start without uh waiting for questions to be asked. Um, took the initiative and I think Harry realized that maybe this was the moment for him to do the same because yeah, he came into the room. um it looked like he kind of I don't know looked quite visibly emotional in some way straight away really and when he said listen I'll start I wasn't entirely sure what he would come out with I I sort of wondered if it might go the other way well actually um no I think it was a really robust kind of defense of his position at the club um clearly tapping into the heritage that he's got and the the fact that Manchester United is built on comebacks and and determination and hard work and yeah I guess it could sound a little bit like you're, you know, nostalgic and harkening back to times gone by, but I do think there's a still there's still a resonance there to what he was saying and really had relevance today because he's saying, you know, you can't win anything without being a team together. Clearly, there's been issues in the recent weeks where it's felt like it's splintered and I think he's basically doing a rallying call to his players, to the fans as well. I think certainly this means that come Sunday when Bournemouth visit Old Trafford the fans I think will be right behind Michael Carrick and let's see if that energizes the team and produce a performance. I think he realized it was a real significant moment for him his his regime and he was he said 100% certain that he could turn this around. Um, let me pick up there, uh, Laura and what you you said and move that to to Ian because you mentioned Fergie and and we're hopping back to to old times where it was a completely different Manchester United Ian, but do you think he's taken some advice there from so Alex Ferguson? We know that they're in contact and you know he sees him as a bit of a mentor. Do you think that's what he was challening when he he went into this press conference today? >> I'd be surprised if he I'd be surprised if he's done this on the back of advice from Sir Alex Ferguson. They've done it on the back of advice from his own PR people. He has some very clever people working around him. Uh Michael, um look, the Fergie thing is interesting. Um I was in a lot of Alex Ferguson press conferences and I have heard him start them with um his own words with with an address if you like, but not like this. I've I can't remember Fergie ever starting a press conference with what is essentially an attack on his own players because that that's what this is. It's delivered in a very gentle um mildmannered articulate way because that's the way that Michael Carrick speaks. But it but it's still an attack on his own players. If you're talking about the need for um humility and for hard work and to be a team, if you're saying that publicly, then you're saying that because you've tried everything else privately and it's not worked. So, this is the way, the last way, the last resort to try and get a rise out of these players. Um, very good point you make there about the crowd because that could be a factor on on Sunday. This certainly may well um galvanize the Old Trafford crowd, but you don't win a football match with crowds. You win it with players. And these players aren't uh they're not good enough um but they're better than where they are. They're not working hard enough. They're not running. Um, and now they're saying the wrong things and the same things which appear to indicate that they don't have an awful lot of respect for the manager, which is a huge problem for any manager. It's a huge problem seven or eight games into a Premier League season. I can't believe that we're having this conversation in October. Can't believe that Michael has had to do this in October because this is this is the last resort of a of a dying man from a sporting point of view. It's the last it's the last wave of of a dying man. Um, and it's a huge it's a huge gamble, but I don't think we can compare it with things that Fergie did. Fergie would start press conferences with an attack on another club. He he'd start them talking about the FA. He'd certainly start them talking about us guys sitting in the room when he felt that we'd gone over the line. He'd certainly on many occasions start press conference by picking one of us out and having a pop. I don't remember him doing it with his own players. This is an incredible piece of theater from Michael Carrick, but it's a it's a massive risk. It's a massive risk. >> Uh yeah, he did pick out a few of his players and he spoke collectively about the players and the players needing to show humility, the players also needing to work hard. He also said as we look at the back page of the Daily Mail, "We've lost our way." Carrick speaks from the heart as he vows to revive United. And just one of the quotes that stood out to me, Lori, he says, "We've lost our way a little bit, if I'm totally honest, and we will get it back." He says he's the man to get it back. Who's who's whose door do you lay this blame at? Is it the players or is it Michael Carrick? Which one of the you know, two of those things need to change? Which one needs to change for United to get back on track? >> Yes, true. I mean obviously I I would then probably cast a net further and and go even you know higher and ultimately to the Glazers and yeah I know maybe it's you know that that's that's still a separate issue maybe to the to the current form you still you'd think that this squad should be better than where it is right so so we can kind of I think what what Carrick is sort of getting at though is the point that you know um there's a collective here so even if you don't have if you've got like leaders at the club that aren't you know thinking about sporting success then that does permeate into the playing squad and and maybe into different layers of the club and so but we we can park that for a second. I do think that clearly the squad should be performing better. I agree with Ian that you've got a a manager head coach here who is calling on from the players and some of them might actually um sort of look at him and go why you talking about history this way you know we're in modern times now. This is this is a different Manchester United. You can't keep reflecting back to what was before. And he said that, you know, he kind of I headed off that that perhaps contradiction there because he said, "Listen, I'm not expecting that we're entitled to it. Nobody's entitled to we've got to modernize and be fresh about our approach, but there's still those, you know, key factors that made the club great that still have bearing today on whether you're a successful football team or not." Um, yeah, but clearly it is a pivotal stage for him. you know, we've done a piece today talking about the potential uh replacements and and the conversations that may be starting to ferment behind the scenes. So, I think he he realized that clearly this was a a moment for him to take a stand because we've seen his press conferences have been more modest. Certainly, when he was interim manager, he didn't really need to say anything. He needed to calm it down after Ruben Amarin and results were what they were so he could kind of just keep going along on that track. Now that he's the permanent head coach and results aren't great, he I think has realized that he needs to take more of a stance publicly. His press conferences have been more showing in personality, he's been punchier, he's been a bit spiky in certain moments building up to this point. And so this was, I think, the grand, you know, finale, climax, whatever you want to call it, up to the point of, okay, maybe he is, you know, fighting for his job and he really needs a result on Sunday. um somebody that I spoke to before the press conference actually the night previous said he needs to make a big statement in some way. Now is that a selection statement and maybe we'll get on to that in terms of who he might pick now on Sunday because it seems like he has you know called it on with some of the players um in what he's saying. So I'd be fascinated to see his his lineup but I do think also showing your personality in this way um is another way to make a kind of statement and show that kind of leadership and I think for some players that will have gone down well. Yeah, you mentioned uh team selection and what he might go for. Let's look at the back page of the Sun. Devils may care under fire. Carrick, show desire or leave, he tells the players. Boss refuses to rule out dropping Bruno. Look, Ian, we'll come to Bruno, but firstly, in that fiveminute monologue that we saw from Michael Carrick, do you think that's enough to in inspire his place? When you see him talk, when you see his demeanor, how he holds himself, if he's in the dressing room and he feels his players aren't giving him enough on the pitch, the way he holds himself and the way he carries himself, do you think that would inspire the players from what we've seen as the press? >> Not what not what he's done today. No, absolutely. Players players listen to what their managers say in press conferences and on television, etc. They see snippets and these days on the phones, on social media, but they'll see bits and pieces. They'll be inspired when they see their manager fighting on their behalf against other clubs, against referees, against uh officials or or whatever. This kind of stuff really won't it will either it'll either wash over them or or it'll irritate them because they'll he'll have said it privately. He will have said it privately. And in without being too, you know, unkind about about Michael, really, this is a sign that everything else he's tried hasn't worked. It's a last resort. It's a last resort tactic. And and the fact is that when you've got players, and we can sit here and slag off the players, and I'm quite happy to do that because they get what they deserve. Some of them, not all of them, but some of them. Okay? So, we can do that all day long, but the fact is at the moment, this is about Michael. This is about Michael Carrick. We are only a handful of games into a Premier League season into a European season and we are already at a point where Gary Neville called them out in the game against Fulham for not trying hard enough. I was at the game against Tottenham a couple of weeks ago. They weren't running in the first half. Tottenham could could have scored three or four goals. We saw what happened in Ko. I was at Ellen Road last weekend when they were okay for half an hour and then fell apart in the second half. leads ended up with 60% possession against Manchester United, 60% possession against Manchester United. So all those things tell you already that without being again too unkind to Michael, he's fa he's failing. If you've got players who aren't getting results and they're not trying and they don't seem to have enough respect in terms to worry about what they may say to TV cameras after a defeat, then you are in a world of trouble. And I'm afraid that's where Michael is right now. And yes, Lori is absolutely right to cast a net wider and talk about other issues at the football club. That's what I get on social media. When I laid into Lando Martinez for what he said after the game uh last week, people came at me on social, oh, it's not about him. It's about the club. It's about the club. It's about the Glazers. It's about Jim Ratcliffe. But it can be about all of those things, but it can also still be about the manager because he's still got to do his bit. And I'm afraid Michael at the moment isn't isn't doing his bit. Um they might get a result on Sunday. Manchester United teams can always get a result at Old Trafford. I've seen it many many times. They can and they might for the long term. I'd be surprised. >> Okay. So is the Manchester United captain doing his bit? Let's look at the Telegraph. Carrick in Fernandez axe threat. United captain could lose the armband over that act of disscent where he we saw him seemingly criticize uh the team's tactics after that loss to Ko Lori. Um I mean Michael Carrick wouldn't confirm really would he whether Bruno Fernandez will be part of the starting lineup. What's your take on it? Should he be dropped? Does it sound a bad Does it send out a bad message to the rest of the players if a senior person in the team can criticize the club and not get punished? Yeah, I mean you've got two different um instance, haven't you, of players criticizing higher ups. Um obviously Martinez went for the technical director, Jason Wilcox, and and you know, the owners, I suppose, and um and Bruno Fernandez has gone for the coaching staff, although again he's sort of done it with a subtlety to it, but clearly, you know, it was calling out the the tactics in Ko. Um from his point of view, I would imagine that he wants to, you know, press high and get after them. the the players that they had on the pitch in that moment, you know, Dilt and Magguire, you know, perhaps a lower block would have suited United, which is what they tried to do. It felt like a mess though. It was it was a really bad performance in Italy. I was there in the stands and it felt like, you know, the bleakest of of occasions that I can remember um you know, in a long time really watching United and obviously Carrie going over to the away fans and and apologizing to them at the end was was a real moment as well. Um yeah, and he didn't answer the question on Bruno Fernandez. said that um you know I will do what's in the best interest of the team of the club. Now when uh Martinez said what he said and then it came to the press conference he was able to say the matter's closed you know we've kind of done the internal disciplinary process you know he then apologized Martinez and he was in the starting lineup against Leeds so it's kind of weird that you'd have what seems a lesser infraction from Fernandez potentially result in him coming out of the side but that seems to be what maybe Carrick is implying cuz wouldn't he just say no listen I've spoken to Bruno about this it's done the matter's closed that that would be what I would feel like if it was closed. So, it sense the senses to me that it's still open. And yeah, I'll be fascinated to to know, you know, to see when the team sheeps drop on Sunday because I mean, Bruno hasn't been good, you know, he hasn't hit anywhere near the heights that he did last season. It was absolutely phenomenal for United last season. He he got them really into that third place position. He won those awards, but also it was Carrick's tactics that got him there. You know, he put him back in the number 10. He gave him that license to have that freedom and creativity and get all those assists. So, you know, this there's a synergy there and there should be some mutual respect. Um, and I'm sure there is, you know, Fernandez was a player when Carrick was coached under Solar, so he's known him a long time. I'm sure they can have robust conversations and and I do wonder exactly who Fernandez was kind of, you know, targeting when he said what he said about the tactics um in Italy. But um yeah, it feels to me that it's still an issue that that needs to have resolution. I mean it' be a huge call if he didn't start Fernandez because he is still United's best player even though he's only really had that game against Hitri where he scored the hattick where he's hit the heights that he can do and obviously he got substituted after 67 minutes I think it was in Ko looked pretty um pretty pretty disappointing when he was walking around the perimeter of the pitch and no doubt that fueled what he then said um in the the post-match interviews. Um but yeah, I think it's uh it's a live issue it seems like to me. >> Yeah, it really does. We we'll see how that one pans out. And look, we've touched on this, but potential suitors for Manchester United if Michael Carrick is to leave his job. Let's look at the Sun just in that left hand column. Soul Seagulls even Fab Val Fabian Herzel has unfinished business with Brighton despite being in the frame for the Manchester United job. Ian, let me get your your take on this. Manchester United seemingly since Sir Alex Ferguson left have had every different type of manager. Is Fabian Herzilla the type of manager they need now? Um, I think the more I thought think the more appropriate question, Jess, with respect is whether is whether they're the type of club that Fabian Herzler needs now. That's what that's how I would frame it. Great question. That is how I would frame it. You know, you're right when you say they've tried every every type and and they have. Why would he go? Why does he go? It's a it's a at the moment it's a it's a hospital pass the Manchester United job. And that's a bizarre thing to say, but I believe it. I've written it in the in the paper today. It's a hospital pass. Why do you go? If you're Herzel, you're 33 years old. You started your career career at Bayern Munich. He only played in the B team. He was a Bayern Munich boy. Okay. If he carries on the way he's doing at at Brighton, he'll get a Bundesliga job. I'm not saying he'll get the Bayern Munich job. He'll get a good Bundesliga job and he'd have an opportunity to take the next step in his career. Okay. Why? Why? apart from for the the the shortterm glamour and the money. Why are you going to go to Manchester United where expectations are skyhigh despite the fact that they are not the club that they used to be? They're still the name that they used to be. The expectations are still what they've always been. You go to Manchester United with the expectation of playing Champions League football and winning trophies. Nothing else nothing else will do. Okay? And then the club isn't set up for that. the club doesn't work, doesn't function well enough, the owners are still taking money out out the football club and the players aren