Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso says he feels for Michael Carrick, but there will be no favours when Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Goal report.
Carrick is under real pressure. United have won one of their first eight league games, sit 15 points off the leaders and were beaten 3-0 at home by Bournemouth last time out. Alonso, who played against the 45-year-old in midfield, didn’t hide his respect.
“I have great respect, I have big sympathy for Michael as a manager,” he said. “He’s a really good guy and you want to be around that, but apart from that, it’s not for me to comment.”
Alonso also knows what comes with the job. “It’s no news. You know it once you take the job,” he said of the pressure on managers, before making it clear that United’s crisis won’t change how Chelsea prepare. “For me, it doesn’t change. We control what we can control.”
He was keen to say United shouldn’t be written off, either. “United have a good squad, they have good players, good manager,” he said. Chelsea have their own wounds to deal with after losing their last home game to Tottenham, and Alonso wants a sharp response.
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Sympathy is cheap before kick-off and worth nothing once the whistle goes, and Alonso knows that as well as anyone. One win in eight is a crisis, and Carrick needs points at Stamford Bridge more than he needs kind words. The only thing in United’s favour is that Chelsea are coming off a home defeat too, so they won’t be as relaxed as Alonso sounds.