Carrick: We are not in a disaster or tragedy, and this is the team's situation

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick appeared at a press conference to discuss the upcoming match on Sunday against Fulham, in the 5th round of the Premier League, at Craven Cottage.

Michael Carrick spoke about the lessons that Manchester United has learned this week: "We are always learning, as a group, on an individual level, and as a team, we are always learning. At some point, when you are trying to build something, things will not always go perfectly, and they will not always go according to plan."

He added: "History tells you that any team that achieves success goes through periods where they have to work to overcome difficulties, to get through them and improve. We have gone through a short period recently where things did not go exactly the way we wanted. I expected us to reach a point where we would go through this phase, and that was going to happen. We had a very good period last season, and we are heading into this season."

Luke Shaw stated: "It was natural that there would come a time when you don't get everything you want. The important thing is how you get through this period, how you react, keeping your focus, continuing to do the right things, and maintaining balance and faith that you will overcome it. We absolutely believe that. There have been a week or two where the matches haven't gone our way. The margins were very small in some of these matches. We will get through this period. Winning matches is always the solution, and it can also hide a lot of things sometimes."

When asked if he was confident in the team's ability to get through this stage, Carrick replied: "Yes, yes."

Manchester United's manager spoke about the pressures he faces and those on others within the club, saying: "This is part of my role too, to take care of myself, to look after myself, but also to care for many other people I can influence and help. This is the beauty of being here at this club. There are great times, and there are things you can achieve and great feelings, and there are also disappointments. Sometimes the small disappointments lead to something a little bigger. This is part of dealing with it and being at this great club."

Speaking about his feelings towards Manchester United and whether the club remains a great place for him, Carrick confirmed: "Yes, 100% yes. I don't want to be anywhere else, it's the best place for me. Part of the times when things don't go according to plan is that they are the best times to work through them, to discover some things and come out stronger. It's a time when small things can turn into big things for other people, the key for us is to stay focused, to stay on track, and to understand that this can happen, even though we don't like it. The fact that it happened in the first batch of games of the season might make it seem a little different. But I expected us to go through a period where we had to work. We are going through it now, and we will find our way out of it."

Michael Carrick clarified the truth behind his previous statements regarding stopping the negative feelings surrounding the team, saying: "There wasn't a feeling about the team, but it was present everywhere else, and it wasn't a feeling we had. It's the general feeling we've just talked about, which can cause things that can't get us off track or refocus us or make us think about things we can't control. It's about the confidence in what we do and in the things we are good at. Continuing to do the things that will help us win games. It's about the small margins. Everything builds from there. We live in a world of reactions and instant judgments, but that's not my world. Being realistic and understanding that this phase will come, and being ready for it, and learning about each other, is extremely important, and building on that for what's to come."

Michael Carrick has revealed the latest developments regarding the team's condition, indicating that there is a chance for Luke Shaw and Carlos Baleba to participate. He said: "There is a chance for both of them. It's not 100% exactly, but there is a chance. It's very short-term, to be honest, but it's about working towards the match, so we'll see how he is as the weekend approaches."

Manchester United's manager spoke about the club owners' stance on recent results, confirming that evaluations will not depend on one match or two. He said: "I think it will take much longer than one match or two to assess things. And beyond all that, it's not important to me. I know the club, I know my role, and I know what is expected here in terms of playing at a certain level. I understand all of that."

"As for the future, ownership, and the duration of my stay, that does not concern me at all, and it is ridiculous to think this way about the position I hold; that is not on the table at all. I understand the things we need to achieve and the place we are in as a football club. It’s two or three matches where we haven’t gotten the results we want. Two or three matches more than we should because I hate losing, but that doesn’t mean the world is collapsing. We need to perform well, and we have many matches planned. And that is exactly what we are doing."

Michael Carrick has emphasized his responsibility for the results, stating: "That's why I'm here. It's my responsibility, and I'm fine with that. It's not a game to blame others. We are always looking for things we can examine and find the person responsible for the mistake, and sometimes it becomes exaggerated. Blame me, no problem, I will take responsibility, but it's not about blaming people. It's about finding solutions. It's a completely collective responsibility. It's about what you really focus on. I'm perfectly happy to take responsibility. I have no problem with that, and it doesn't bother me. I know where we want to go, and we want to get there quickly."

Michael Carrick addressed the jeers from fans following the defeat against Brighton on Wednesday, saying: "We don’t like losing football matches, and it’s not that I don’t feel the emotions of losing football matches, but that doesn’t affect my thinking about what we need to do next. That’s the most important thing, we need to put things into perspective, it’s not a disaster or a tragedy, and it’s not the end of the world. We are not in a position where we have gone through a long run of terrible results, we’ve lost two matches recently. We feel that we have started every game we have played and been present in them, and we are not suffering all the time. We have done a lot of good things, and belief comes from that. The good things we have done get lost amid the feeling around us, but they don’t get lost for us."

Michael Carrick concluded his remarks by commenting on the future of G.G. Gabriel, Manchester United's young talent, stating: "I will repeat what I said the other day. He is a young boy, and it is important that we do not bring anything to light, and that we are careful and wise, and think about him before anything else. The situation will find its way to resolution. Ensuring that he is okay is important."