"It can be a challenge!" - Michael Carrick reflects on Man Utd criticism and approach ahead of Spurs
Carrick on Manchester City case, Man Utd criticism and team management: feeling over trophies, unity and unpredictability
In a Sky Sports interview, Michael Carrick discusses the Manchester City case, reflections after the international break, criticism of Manchester United's running and identity, player protection, his calm demeanour and a changing room where players can challenge him. He stresses shutting out noise, keeping internal standards, not judging the team on simple data or running alone, and the value of unity and unpredictability.
- No desire for reallocated titles; the feeling and shared experience of winning matter more than medals or trophies. — He says players, staff and supporters compete for that emotion and those memories, which cannot be replaced by trophies or medals.
- The Manchester City case needs clarity and closure as soon as possible; letting it drag through the season is not ideal for the league. — He says it affects viewers, supporters, clubs, players and staff, and everyone needs to know the outcome to move on.
- Much of the criticism about Manchester United's passion and leadership is lazy and easy to make; he shuts out most external noise and trusts the internal group. — He values the feeling of support but relies on the staff, players and club bubble to know where they want to be.
- Judging the team on running data alone is too generalised; data can be read in many ways and must be balanced with the eye and internal judgement. — The same numbers can look negative or positive, and watching games back can lose the emotion of the moment.
- Simply running more is not the answer; running for its own sake does not produce performance, and the team needs a smart plan plus intensity. — He says players must know what they are running for, the ideas and style, while still bringing energy and emotion.
- Talk of a fixed identity is a bit fluffy; results shape the narrative, and being hard to read is more important. — He says overemphasising identity can misrepresent the real story, though the team still needs principles and non-negotiables.
- The team has not changed its counter-attacking style; it is simply having more possession and playing higher up, which is a positive. — Opponents now deny space differently, and without the ball the side still wants good transitions, quick recoveries and fast attacks.
- Protecting players publicly and not criticising individuals is important; the team must stick together, though that does not mean always being nice. — He says the group must look after each other, drive each other and be united against the outside world.
- Shouting and screaming does not necessarily get the best out of players; the key is finding the right button for the person and moment. — He says methods evolve and getting the best out of someone is the skill.
- He welcomes players challenging him if it comes from the right place and with the right intentions; more responsibility brings better understanding and buy-in. — He sees it as everyone working together to improve the team.
► Subscribe to Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWPremierLeagueYT Michael Carrick sat down ahead of Manchester United's match against Tottenham Hotspur to speak about learnings from the international break, How he is approaching the next few games and his thoughts on Manchester City being found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules. City deny all charges and have lodged an appeal. premierleague football manchesterunited 00:00 - Response to Man City story 02:05 - Reflections from over international break. 03:22 - What do people get wrong when talking about Man Utd? 04:25 - Running statistics criticism 05:53 - Changes needed? 06:33 - Value in being unpredictable 07:28 - Non-negotiables in the team 08:00 - Counter-attacking play 08:53 - Carlos Baleba fitness 09:48 - Approach to player criticism 10:42 - Calm demeanour 11:07 - Do you like changing room where players can challenge you? 11:35 - Spurs approach ► Premier League highlights: https://bit.ly/PL2627HL ► MNF, FNF, SNF & Super Sunday analysis: https://bit.ly/SkyMatchAnalysis ► Gary Neville Podcast: https://bit.ly/GaryNevillePodcast ► Saturday Social: https://bit.ly/SkySaturdaySocial ► Buy this season’s shirts: https://bit.ly/SkySportsShop More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkySportsFootball ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysportsfootball ► TikTok…
Transcript
Michael, thank you for joining us back from the break. We just have to start with Manchester City and the news that did break over that three weeks. First of all, you were talking about it in there that you can't relive the moment, but would you want those titles if the trophies were reallocated? >> No, listen, there's a lot of questions to be um to be answered still. I got my own really don't know what it what it means, what's going to come out of it. I think it's still in the middle of it at the moment. So, it's a little bit of discussions for the sick, discussions until there's something finalized. We we we don't know. Not many people do. If anyone really knows what's going to what's going to come out of it. Um, all I can say I think is is you know when you're in it um from a performance point of view and whether that's players or staff and supporters is is you compete for that feeling of winning you know and you compete for that emotion and that um that final kind of um win lose draw and sometimes it's big big highs and it's winning leagues sometimes it's losing leagues like we have done last game of the season um nothing ever replace that feeling because it's what we lived. Um and whether that's trophies or medals after that, that's it's it's the feeling that lives with you the most and the experiences and the memories of that. So, um whatever happens is going to happen. I don't know. I don't know is is is my answer. U we'll just have to wait and see. >> How will it impact this season, do you think? >> I think the sooner everyone knows what's going on is the better. I think as as it's going on through the season, it it it it um it raises questions of course from our perspective. We just got to keep doing our thing and control our games that we're part of and whatever happens elsewhere then it's going to happen. It's um it's not ideal just because the the whole league in general is it impacts so many people and um viewers, supporters, clubs, players, staff um that it needs to be clarified and finished pretty pretty soon so everybody can move on in whatever direction that is. >> Well, let's move on then to the football and and your side. And three weeks is a long time to have off, long time to sit with your thoughts. You've just mentioned in your press conference that you've been reflecting on the good things and the bad things. talk me through your key reflections from this period. >> I think it's it's it's felt long. I think it it has it's almost felt a bit too long really, but um we we whatever it is, we got you got to try and make the most of it and and we feel that we have to we've had a small number of plays, but we've we've had a number of players to to work with and um and then yeah, a bit of time to look back and and and plan forward. um we we've been doing some really good things and we've been doing some things that we need to probably take out of the game a little bit and improve on and um that's just an ongoing thing and I think whatever results had been whatever the first stage looks at I think the next chapter always needs to look better and that's what we're striving for now. What are those particular elements then that you're referring to that you want to see change and you've been critical of? >> No, I think that's for us to understand and the players. The players are certainly aware of it and they're pretty clear of what that what that needs to be. Um, and I think that's important that there's there's clarity with with us to know um what we expect, how we want to look as a team, what we want to be as a team, what what we stand for, and um we've proved over a good period of time and the boys have proved what they can achieve and how many games they can win. We we got to put things in place to do that again. You've said some of the criticism is quite lazy and easy to make, particularly around the passion and the leadership. What do you think people get wrong or overgeneralize when they're talking about Manchester United in the start of the season? >> I honestly don't know cuz I don't listen to too much. Do >> you really find that? You don't? I'm pretty good at shutting off. Um >> I think I pick and choose what I shut off towards. I think the the feeling of support is important to me. So, I kind of um I prioritize that of understanding where they're at with that. But in terms of um the too much of the information or the criticism or the details behind it, I think it's um there's so much that you can you could listen to that. I'm pretty good at shutting off from that and trusting what we've got in in our little bubble really of of the staff, the players, and everybody at the club to to know where we want to be. Um it's certainly a lot clearer that way and um it can be a challenge. It can be a challenge for some, but I'm um I do feel I'm pretty good at showing off. >> Well, sorry, I'm going to bring up something that people have been talking about and that is the running statistics recently. And do you think that is a fair metric to talk about your team because you're actually alongside Manchester City and a lot of those metrics. How do you feel about people saying that this side isn't running enough and hasn't got that physical element? Yeah, I think it's understandable now how people read stats and data and it's that you can read it in so many different ways. Um it depends what you want to look for. You can make it look negative, you can make it look positive, you can make it look balanced. I think it's um it's there to be to a tool where you can make this a judgment. But I think you got to be smart and clever with your judgment if you're really coming from our side of things. too overgeneralized to just say >> I think you you can if depends if you're looking for something in a certain place you can find it um >> as you can in a positive way which sometimes can look more positive than then it probably is. So I don't mean just from a negative standpoint. I think both ways. Um but when you dig a little bit deeper, you get a good balance view if you want to go a lot down the data. I think there's a balance between using that and using our own eye or own feeling. I think even when you watch games back sometimes you don't have this you don't you lose that emotion. You lose the feeling in the moment and it looks sometimes a little bit more never as good, never as bad as it feels at the time. And um it's so it's important for us and certainly me to to understand that um and analyze it in in a good way. >> In terms of that off the ball work, would you like more running and physicality or are you happy that the players are playing and doing what they're asking to do in that setup? >> I don't think necessarily just more runs is is is a is an answer. I think um it doesn't bring performance just for the sake of running. I think you got to be smart. You got to have a plan. You got to know what you what you're bringing and what you want to do and the ideas and the style of the game. But of course, you got to bring an energy and you got to bring an intensity. You got to bring an emotion to the game. And um we've shown over a long period of time that we can do that and we can win a lot of games and um we we can do that. So, it's up to us to to keep producing. >> You said recently you quite like that people can't work out a particular identity. Tell me about that and why that's your mentality. >> That was just more being predictable. Well, I think the identity really is is kind of it's a bit of fluff really and it kind of what is it? Um I think it's more about results and and then if you don't get results then people say it's not working. If you do get results then then it it it sets the tone and um if if you want if you want to be unpredictable and you want to be hard to play against certainly when you're attacking then you don't want teams to have be able to read you too much and that's how I see the game. um there's there's a principles and there's a certain um the way you want to look as a team and things that you stand for um that we feel pretty strongly about but in terms of it depends and it you go down the >> identity too much I think it can come across a little bit don't know what the word is but yeah it's not always the real story >> in terms of those things that you stand for then the non-negotiables how would you sum them up >> no I think that's with I think that's with us as a group. I don't think that's for for everyone else to know. I think that's for us as a group of what we want we know we want to get in um in certain ways when whether we have the ball, whether we don't have the ball, what that looks like, what what emotion we want to have, what togetherness and spirit and what that means of there's all sorts of different things um that we're all pretty clear of of what we need to to win games. Can I ask about the counterattacking style because it was so successful when you joined last season and so many opportunities and goals from those areas. Obviously, as teams adapt and you're at the side a bit longer, they want to counteract that. They don't want to give you those spaces. Has that been a challenge to overcome how they've been adapting around your style? >> Um, I think that's just football really. I don't think it's it's a necessarily a change in style. I think it's just probably we've been a lot better with the ball. So, we've we've we've had a lot more possession and a lot more possession higher up the pitch, higher up the pitch than most teams. So, >> I think it's a there's a real plus to that. >> It's not a negative. It's just different spaces [clears throat] to um and then when you don't have the ball, of course, you want to be you want to be good on transitions. You want to win the ball back. You want to attack fast. >> Uh the games that we've had so far, we've had probably more the ball and we've had a lot of play in the attacking in the attacking half, which um there's a lot of positives to that as well. >> The labour hopefully is going to be part of your setup. very soon. He played in behind closed doors game. What element do you think he's going to bring to your side? >> Yeah, we're delighted with Carlos. I think he's he's um he's working towards getting towards his full fitness. He's um he's missed a lot of football through preseason really getting injured early in preseason. So, he's um he's missed an important time. I think we we we understand and we got to be patient with him to to get him up to speed to then um make that step into into the kind of the glare of of everyone [clears throat] and into the into the big stage. I think it's um it's a big jump in some ways coming to the club and I don't mean from play. I just mean it's a big jump when you come and you transfer to to come and play here to then play. I think um a little bit patience and not expect too much too early from he's a young player. He's made the move and um over time he's going to get better, but we're really happy with them at the moment. >> You mentioned the the glare of the club. your instance as a manager when you're speaking pre and postmatch is always very much to protect your players. You never talk about individual performances. You never criticize really in public view. Why is that important to you to approach things like that? >> Just the way I am really. Um I care about the people around me and um that doesn't mean that we're always nice to each other. Um but we need to look after each other at certain points and and as a team we're strong, you know. It's it's us against the world. That is when you're a team. It's it's it's it's that that's what it is. you got to take on everybody and to do that you got to be tight and you got to be together and um yeah as I said it doesn't mean you're nice to each other and sometimes you got to drive each other and you got to fire each other up but it's it's important that you stick together >> so there sides to you that the media and all of us don't see that you're like with the players a different temperament at times >> possibly [laughter] said recently though I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago he said very few times since you've been that you've been angry and shown that side so it clearly works for you to keep that calm demeanor Yeah. >> Yeah. It depends what works. You know, just because you shout and scream doesn't necessarily mean it's the um >> it's going to get the best out of of people. I think um time evolves and and it depends on what what buttons you got to press to to get the best out of someone and um that's the skill I suppose. >> Do you like having a changing room where people can challenge you as well? Do you like players coming to you and saying, "Can we try this? We don't think this is working." Do you invite that environment? There's obviously a balance in in and doing it within a within a bandwidth to to make the team better. Of course, there isn't. It coming from the right way and the right intentions for sure. I think um the more responsibility the boys have and the more they take on the pitch, the better the understanding of it and the bigger the buy in. So yeah, that it's it's all of us working together for sure. >> Big month coming up starting with Tottenham. We all know that they haven't had their ideal start to the season that they'd have wanted. How do you approach this one? Is it important your players go in and don't feel any pressure to get a result just because of Tottenham's form? >> No, it's about us for sure. We respect Tottenham. They're a very very good team. We've got some really good players and obviously done a lot of work in the summer to to to try and enhance the squad. So, we we fully understand what we're up against. But, it's um it's totally it's totally about us what we what we need to do to to take into the game to to give ourselves a chance of a good performance in winning the game. >> What would you like to see then? >> How we want to win the game. And just in terms of the next month in general, you feel calm. There's a lot of talk, isn't there? Always around this club. I'm sure you're used to that. But how are you feeling as you enter this one? >> I'm fine. Pretty normal. I think we we understand there's a big season ahead. Um, keep that game at a time and keep pushing and see how the season develops. >> Thank you very much, Michael. Appreciate it. Thanks a lot.