Michael Carrick has told his Manchester United players to use their 10 day break as a WEAPON not a excuse, after the first defeat of his reign at Newcastle .
The Red Devils slumped to a flat, lifeless 3-2 defeat at St James’ Park, ending a remarkable unbeaten run that stretched all the way back to December 21 . That’s right, United hadn’t lost a Premier League game since BEFORE CHRISTMAS .
But Wednesday night was a reality check. Flat performance. Failed to capitalise against 10 men. And now a painful 10 day wait to put it right .
THE STAKES
United remain third, but the gap is closing. Only THREE points separate them from Liverpool in sixth . What looked like a comfortable cushion is suddenly a nervy scrap.
Aston Villa visit Old Trafford next, a game that’s just become massive.
CARRICK’S MESSAGE
“We’ve got to make the best out of it, we’ve got to make it a help,” Carrick insisted when asked about the extended break.
“There’s no sense in not learning lessons and understanding why tonight was what it was and how it happened and developed. We’ve got to learn from that, so we look at it and we’ll learn from that.”
This is a manager refusing to let his players feel sorry for themselves. No moping. No excuses. Just lessons.
THE POSITIVES
“It’s an important game, it’s a big week for us, it’s one we look forward to,” Carrick added.
“We’re in a position now that we’ve put ourselves in, the boys have put themselves in, that can be really exciting. So we’ve got to be really positive going into the next game and look forward to it, because there’s a lot to play for.”
He’s right. United are still third. Still in the Champions League mix. Still in control of their own destiny.
But that defeat at Newcastle? It stung. And how they respond will define their season.
