MANCHESTER United caretaker manager Michael Carrick believes the victory over Villarreal on Tuesday could spur his side to another big performance at the weekend.
The former United midfielder saw the side beat Villarreal 2-0 in Spain to qualify for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 in his first game in charge.
He faces the daunting challenge of Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and hopes his players are up to the task after ending a run of poor results that led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking.
“It was a big boost for us (the Villarreal win), of course it was, it was a much-needed win for a lot of reasons, mainly, first and foremost, for the players to have that feeling again and get that little bit of confidence back, that little bit of belief, which, for sure, we lost,” Carrick said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“It’s another massive game for us, Tuesday was a huge game, but it’s another massive game. These are the games you’ve got to enjoy, embrace putting yourself in these positions and test yourself against a team that’s playing very well, very well. Whatever individuals are on the pitch for them, in recent times, they’ve looked dangerous, they’ve looked a good team and obviously had some really terrific results. So it’ll be a test for us and I’m looking forward to it.”
The former England international, 40, then admitted his admiration for Chelsea and their manager Thomas Tuchel.
“You’ve got to be hugely impressed by the way they go about things,” Carrick added.”Obviously, I’ve watched quite a bit of them. Super intense, well-organised, really good movement across our back line, their front line and very good at connecting with the midfield, with the back three-building out and connecting in midfield.
“The wing-backs are really aggressive and test your backline and stretch you across the pitch. They’ve got a really good balance going at the moment, confidence is high and you can see that. They’ve had some really terrific results and so they’re on a high and I’m well aware of the challenges we face but, you know, as I said before, I’m looking forward to it because it’s a big test and a big challenge but we feel we can go there and get a good result, no doubt. We have to believe that.”
Carrick had positive words about his forward Jadon Sancho and former United striker Romelu Lukaku, who is now Chelsea’s record signing.
On Sancho, who scored his first United goal on Tuesday, Carrick said: “He’s a terrific player, Jadon. I said it the other night, he’s never happier when the ball’s at his feet, he’s trying to create things and going at defenders and linking inside with forwards, creating chances and scoring goals. “That’s when he’s purely at his happiest and smiliest, if you like; I’ve seen that in training and I’ve seen that in games already.
“The biggest thing for me the other night, and I said it, was the other side of his game and his attitude and his work-rate and his mentality.
“I thought he put a whole performance together, the other night, and I was really pleased for him because, and we’ve said it before, It’s not always easy to just step into this club and perform, especially as a younger player, he’s got a massive future ahead of him if keeps doing the right things, looks after himself and has the right attitude.
“Who’s to say how far he can go and hopefully he fulfils every little bit of potential that he has.”
On Lukaku, who has returned after a spell out injured, the United manager said: “That feels like a long time ago already, when Rom was here and left. He’s gone to Italy and done very well and had a good start at Chelsea.
“I know he’s been unfortunate with picking up the injury but came back the other night and was involved. It’ll be good to see Rom again. He’s obviously a terrific footballer, Rom, he’s scored goals pretty much wherever he’s been, so it’s pretty obvious what he brings and how dangerous he could be.
“If Rom plays, we’re well aware of what he brings and we’ll be ready for him.”
Carrick then provided fitness updates about some of his key players, including Luke Shaw and Fred.
“We got two or three different little issues that we’re waiting to see how the boys come through,” he explained.
“Of course it’s never ideal, you want a full squad to pick from, a full quota of players. There is one or two that we’re kind of waiting on.
“Luke took a bang on the head, obviously, he was concussed two, three weeks ago and took a bang against Watford, so we’re assessing him during the week and we’ll make a call on how he is.
“Fred took a knock the other night and he twisted his ankle. He managed to carry on, which is pretty incredible, to be honest, and see the game out and ended up playing a big part in winning the game for us.
“We’ll have to see how that settles down. There’s one or two others as well but we’ll be strong tomorrow, travelling down with the squad that we have, whoever it is, and look forward to the game.”
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