Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has insisted the club’s players remain united behind under-pressure head coach Michael Carrick, despite a run of seven matches without a win in all competitions.
United’s latest setback came in a heavy 4-1 defeat by Como, prompting Carrick to deliver an emotional address in his pre-match press conference. The manager called for humility and a stronger response from his players after a series of disappointing performances.
Asked whether the dressing room was united, Lammens said: “For me personally, I think it is.”
He acknowledged that frustration can sometimes spill over after matches, when players are desperate to improve but may not fully explain what they mean.
“Of course, the people at home can’t see that, so we need to also try to look like that when we are on the pitch in the weekend,” Lammens said. “But I can assure you that we’re doing everything we can and we’re all together behind the coach, as a staff, players, front office.”
He added: “Everyone knows, of course, they have to do better, but I think we are united and we are trying to get better as a team and together.”
Manchester United’s early defensive problems
United have repeatedly found themselves chasing games from the opening stages. They conceded within the first few minutes against Como, having also made poor starts against Atletico Madrid, Fulham and Tottenham.
The club have kept only one clean sheet this season, against Sabah in the Champions League on September 10. Lammens said conceding so early was damaging the team’s plans and was an area they needed to address quickly.
“You can try to come up with plans and tactics, but if you get a goal against in the first or second minute, it kind of screws up a little bit your game plan and you’re kind of chasing the game from then on,” he said.
“That’s probably one of the biggest things we need to work on right now is to keep ourselves in the game and to try and get that first goal ourselves, instead of being 1-0 down straight away.”
Lammens rejected the suggestion that the answer was simply a matter of trying harder, saying the squad was working daily to find a solution. He also said one strong performance could change the team’s momentum.
The goalkeeper recognised that Carrick’s side had lacked aggression, intensity and running in recent matches, qualities that had been central to their results during the manager’s first five months in charge last season.
He said United had attempted to evolve tactically this campaign, particularly in possession, but needed to rediscover the collective resilience they had shown previously.
“I think we need a little bit more like last season, the way we fought together, even when it wasn’t going the best and just trying to fight as a team and defend as a team,” Lammens said. “I think that’s probably something we need to try to get back to.”
He added that United were still searching for the balance between playing calmly from the back and showing the aggression required when they did not have the ball.
“I think it’s just finding that fine line in ourselves,” Lammens said, as Carrick prepares his team for another demanding Premier League test against Bournemouth.
