Carrick: Man Utd must learn to ‘love’ pressure

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Michael Carrick says everyone at Manchester United must start viewing pressure as a privilege rather than a burden, though he admits the Red Devils have fallen well short of expectations this season.

After squandering a 1-0 lead to draw 1-1 with winless Tottenham – who were also down to 10 men – on Saturday, United have six points from as many games in the Premier League.

Their only domestic win this season came at home to promoted Ipswich Town, with their EFL Cup campaign also ending at the first hurdle as they surrendered a two-goal lead to lose to Brighton at Old Trafford.

A 4-0 thrashing of Azerbaijani champions Sabah at least gave them a winning start in the Champions League, but with a trip to Atletico Madrid to come on Tuesday, the pressure is firmly on.

United are still seeking their first win against Atletico (D2 L2) – the only side they have faced more often in major European competitions without winning is Sevilla (five – D2 L3).

Carrick’s side were booed off by their own fans following the Spurs game, but he prefers to look forward and focus on their opportunity to start a Champions League campaign with back-to-back wins for just the third time in the post-Alex Ferguson era.

“Of course, we hoped for a lot more, we expected a lot more, but we are where we are,” Carrick told reporters. 

“I was aware there was going to be a period when it was going to become a bit more challenging, a bit stickier. That’s part of it. You’ve got to overcome things.

“I understand that when it’s not going too well, there’s a real clamour and a real feeling of ‘it’s a disaster, it’s all wrong and everything needs to be changed.’ 

“I get that, but that’s not our mindset – or it’s certainly not mine.”

All set for our first European away of the campaign  https://t.co/DCFyrfvwkC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 12, 2026

United previously won their first two games in the Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2017-18, and under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.

Asked if he was starting to feel the pressure, Carrick added: “It depends on how you define pressure. We know what we want and what we’re capable of doing as a team.

“We want to be part of something successful; there’s no negativity about that. There’s going to be times when it’s a bit of a struggle, but to get anywhere, to do something good, something great, you’ve got to be able to do something difficult and get through it.

“I love this part. When it’s going against you, you see who’s really there within the group, who wants to be here for the long term. 

“The supporters are desperate for it and we’ve got to give them something. You’ve got to embrace challenges to get where you want to be. I totally believe we’ll come through it.”

Across 132 matches in the Champions League, Atleti boss Diego Simeone has only faced one English manager previously, with his side eliminating Craig Shakespeare’s Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the 2016-17 edition (won 1-0 at home, drew 1-1 away).

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