Carrick needs Man Utd's players to step up
· Yahoo Sports
It was typical of Michael Carrick that when it was put to him in the aftermath of Manchester United's latest defeat in what has become a torrid start to the season, he should turn the narrative around so the responsibility for the 3-2 loss to Brighton fell on him.
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"No, listen, the team's on me," he said. "When we win, people say I'm doing a good job, so if we don't win or don't get results, then a lot of it's on me. I accept that. I'm not hiding away from any of that."
There is no sense at this point United's hierarchy are losing faith with Carrick.
They only gave him a two-year contract in May, so it would represent a startling U-turn if they were, even if the nature of two home defeats in four days - to a Manchester City side reduced to 10 men in the first half, and a Brighton team who became the first in over 50 years to win at Old Trafford after trailing by two goals - is acknowledged by everyone, including Carrick, to be poor.
Instead, the feeling is the players need to step up, both individually and as a team, as performances have not been good enough.
A number of key players - Matheus Cunha and Diogo Dalot are obvious examples but there are others - are way below last year's form. Their most expensive summer recruit, £70m Carlos Baleba, is unlikely to be fit until after the forthcoming international break. Andrey Santos is yet to settle following his £48m move from Chelsea, while Youri Tielemans has not found form yet either after his switch from Aston Villa.
Marcus Rashford has looked lively on his return after 18 months away from the club - but is yet to score.
The decision not to sign a left-back has already been exposed by the injury that has kept Luke Shaw out for three games, with neither Patrick Dorgu nor Noussair Mazraoui convincing in his place.
As ever, results can change narratives.
Win at Fulham on Sunday and a three-week international break offers the chance to reset after a difficult, but not catastrophic, start to the season. Lose and the period that follows will be filled with external debate, with the loudest voices belonging to Carrick's former team-mates.
United have a good record at Craven Cottage. Carrick needs to make sure it continues.