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Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has deflected the attention away from his under pressure boss David Moyes by stating that the players must take responsibility and bounce back.
Carrick, 32, played a part in United’s disastrous 2-0 defeat to Olympiakos that Moyes slammed afterwards. The result leaves them needing a win by three clear goals in the return leg at Old Trafford to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The Englishman responded to questions asking whether the United squad are missing the presence of Sir Alex Ferguson as the same team that won the Premier League under the Scot last season now find themselves on the verge of losing their last chance of silverware in the current campaign.
“Sir Alex didn’t play on the pitch for us. As players we have got to react, we’ve got to play well, it’s as simple as that,” the England international told Sky Sports.
Carrick also offered a tough response to United’s detractors and, after being heavily criticised in the wake of the Olympiakos result, is keen to silence the club’s many critics.
“We’ve set standards as players over the years and this season hasn’t gone so well,” the midfielder continued.
“We’re there to be shot at and we’re getting criticism from all angles, everyone is having a bit of a dig and enjoying it, so we’ve got to take that on the chin and bounce back. I’m sure we will,” he insisted.
The first leg result now leaves United facing a huge challenge if they are to claw their way past the Greek side, but Carrick is confident the team can achieve their goal.
“It would have been nice for us to get an away goal near the end but the tie isn’t over yet, we thoroughly believe that, but it’s not ideal,” he added.
“But we’re not out of the tie. We are still in with a chance going back to Old Trafford and we’ll look forward to the second leg.
“Don’t get me wrong, to score three goals in this competition is tough, but we’ve done it before and we believe we can do it again,” Carrick declared.
Carrick completed 86 passes against Olympiakos.
