“You can lose games of football. It’s about bouncing back. The world doesn’t end because we lose.”
Michael Carrick’s summary of last Monday’s shock home defeat by Leeds, as he was assessing Manchester United’s return to form with their 1-0 win at Chelsea, was typical of the man.
Never too high in victory, never too low in defeat.
He was like that as a player and nothing has changed now he is in the dug-out at a time when questions were starting to be asked of him as well as his team.
The complaint has been that since Carrick’s initial introduction, and specifically the draw at West Ham on 10 February, performances have been average.
Results have been decent though, better than anyone else over the comparable period.
It took a first home defeat to Leeds since 1981 for the real moans to start.
The calmness previously viewed as an asset became a negative. Inaction was seen as conservative. All week the question has been asked, is Carrick up to the job?
Well, there was nothing aesthetically pleasing about this latest triumph.
But given only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of all the post-Sir Alex Ferguson bosses had experienced the feeling of winning at Stamford Bridge, style was a secondary element.
Chelsea may have hit the woodwork three times. They may have carried the more consistent threat. But Carrick’s team was the one that delivered.
“It was a game for a result,” he said. “And we managed to find it.”
There was more to it though. There was overcoming the adversity of knowing that on top of the three central defenders he knew would be missing (Matthijs de Ligt through injury and Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire due to suspension), Carrick then lost a fourth, Leny Yoro, to a training ground injury.
That came so late in the week his chosen pairing, Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven, could only prepare with walk-throughs.
“I love when you see players thrive in those moments,” said Carrick.
Heaven, 19, had not started a game under Carrick, having first been given his chance by Ruben Amorim and then his immediate replacement Darren Fletcher.
“Ayden has not played a lot of football recently, and to come into that environment is not something that you can take for granted,” said Carrick.
“We say the same things to young players all the time. Sometimes they look at you as if to say, ‘yeah, good one’ but in terms of training every day and looking after yourself and being ready ‘because you never know when that chance comes’, he probably wouldn’t have thought it would come at that moment.
“But he was there, he was prepared, and he took it in his stride magnificently well.”
If Heaven felt any pressure, he didn’t show it.
The same is also true of Carrick, although admittedly it helps to have someone like Bruno Fernandes in his team.
Fernandes now has 18 Premier League assists to his name this season, just two short of the all-time record.
Carrick had spoken to his skipper by the touchline not long before the crucial cut-back Fernandes delivered for Matheus Cunha to apply the first-time finish and win the game.
“I can’t take any credit for that,” laughed Carrick. “I’m not even sure I can remember exactly what I said to him, but I definitely can’t take credit for the goal.”
So, Carrick’s side move on.
Eight points from five games is the maximum requirement now for a return to the Champions League after a two-season absence.
It will probably take less given Liverpool still have to play Everton and Chelsea, in addition to their own trip to Old Trafford on 3 May.
At some point, there will be clarity over Carrick’s position.
It feels like he has come through a big moment with a lot of pressure, even if he hasn’t really viewed this week the same way.
“We were fine, you know?” he said, of Monday.
“We learned from things, and spoke about a few things, but that’s football.
“The league is what it is. There are results all over the place. We weren’t getting too down about that at all.
“If anything, we looked at it and thought, ‘we’re right near the top, if not top of the last 12 games’. We took a lot of confidence from that.
“We knew what this game was. We didn’t overplay it. We didn’t speak. It wasn’t about positions or points or anything. It was just coming down here to win a game and commit to that. The boys definitely did that.”
