Carrick insists Manchester United are not an unmanageable club

Michael Carrick has come out fighting against the narrative surrounding Manchester United. The head coach flatly rejected the idea that the Old Trafford club are impossible to run and defended his team's playing style during the most delicate week of his short tenure. With Bournemouth about to visit Manchester, Carrick is holding on to his job after seven consecutive matches without a victory.

• Carrick says Manchester United are perfectly manageable and gives a blunt 'No' to those who claim otherwise.
• The team have gone seven games without a win and host Bournemouth on Sunday with the manager's position at stake.
• Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes have openly criticised the club's recruitment and the coach's tactics.
• The manager denies his side do not run enough and argues that pressing is not essential to win matches.
• Carrick remains in regular contact with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Sir Alex Ferguson, two key figures in his career.

A job under threat: what Carrick has to lose against Bournemouth

Bournemouth's visit to Old Trafford has stopped being just another Premier League fixture. For Carrick it has become a chance to stop the run of poor results that threatens to cost him his position. The 4-1 Champions League defeat away to Como left an open wound and increased pressure in an environment already full of doubts.

If the club decided to part ways with him, it would be the third managerial change in three seasons. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have gone through eight long-term bosses, including Ralf Rangnick, without any of them getting close to the heights of the Scot's golden era.

Carrick's answer to those who call United unmanageable

The question hangs over every Manchester United crisis: is the club impossible to manage? Carrick did not take a second to respond. His answer was a short and firm 'No'. The coach believes the media noise, fuelled by former players with their own outlets and by the many fan channels online, distorts the perception of the daily work at the club.

I don't buy into that theory. You can manage Manchester United and you can do it well.

The tactical debate: pressing and distance covered

Carrick is particularly annoyed by the narrative that accuses his team of not running enough and not pressing when they lose the ball. Although he accepts that the overall performance in the European defeat at Como was unacceptable, he does not share the conclusions drawn from that match.

You have to be careful with just saying they don't run. We have won a lot of games over time and pressing is only a small part of football. There are many ways to press. What is it exactly? What are you doing it for? Does it play to your strengths or leave spaces behind?

The manager believes the word pressing has become a fashionable term thrown around without nuance. In his view, you do not necessarily need to press to win games: sometimes it is required and sometimes it is not. He also argues that running stats alone do not define a football match. His solution is to get back to the level shown last season and in several stretches of the current campaign.

Solskjaer and Ferguson, two close allies in the middle of the crisis

Carrick's connection with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goes beyond their time together at the club. The Norwegian, a former boss and teammate of Carrick, travelled to United's base in Trondheim before the pre-season friendly against Rosenborg to spend time with the coaching staff. They have been in touch again this week.

He has also spoken to Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed Carrick from Tottenham in 2006 and continues to attend matches at Old Trafford as he approaches his 85th birthday. Although the closeness with both is constant, the manager plays down its significance: these are regular relationships, not a special reaction to the current crisis.

Carrick's message to the dressing room

Despite the difficult outlook, Carrick is convinced he can turn the situation around. However, he knows he needs his underperforming squad to step up against Bournemouth. His message has been direct: a different team must show up on Sunday, with renewed energy and a much stronger response on the pitch.

We will be a different team on Sunday. We have to be.