Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has admitted that his side’s Premier League opener was far from perfect after suffering a disappointing defeat to newly promoted Hull City.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Carrick acknowledged that United showed some positive moments but were made to pay for conceding first.
“Some of it was okay, there’s bits to improve on. It was never going to be perfect, but going behind and giving ourselves a lot to do makes it more difficult,” Carrick said.
The United boss described the encounter as a typical match involving a newly promoted side playing at home, stressing that Hull were difficult to break down after taking the lead.
“After that, we had moments and opportunities but we didn’t have the spark to put the chances away or create any more,” he added.
Carrick said the result was particularly frustrating but insisted that his team would not allow the defeat to affect their confidence.
“We’re bitterly disappointed with the result, but we won’t let it knock us,” he said.
Former Arsenal forward Ian Wright, however, was highly critical of United’s performance and questioned some of Carrick’s tactical decisions.
Wright singled out the decision to deploy Dorgu in a left-wing role, arguing that the system failed to provide United with the attacking threat required to break down Hull’s compact defence.
He also criticised United’s overall performance, claiming that experienced players including Matheus Cunha, Noussair Mazraoui and Bruno Fernandes were outperformed by Hull’s newly promoted squad.
Wright further questioned Luke Shaw’s continued involvement in the starting XI, arguing that United need greater reliability and intensity as they attempt to rebuild under Carrick.
According to Wright, Carrick must accept responsibility for the poor showing and ensure United adopt a more aggressive approach in similar matches.
Meanwhile, United captain Bruno Fernandes admitted that the team repeated mistakes from last season, particularly in away matches.
Fernandes said United allowed Hull to have too much possession and failed to apply sufficient pressure early in the game.
“Same mistakes as we did last season, every away game we give too much of the ball to them,” Fernandes said.
“In the first 20 minutes, the goalkeeper was the one with the most touches.”
The Portuguese midfielder also criticised United’s lack of aggression and warned that the team must improve its defending from set-pieces.
“We needed to press more, be more aggressive, and then again we need to work on set-plays and not concede these type of goals,” he said.
Fernandes revealed that United had expected set-pieces to play a major role in Hull’s game plan and noted that Hull changed their usual formation to add greater height against United.
“We knew before the game set-pieces would be a big part of their game,” he said.
Despite the criticism and disappointment, Fernandes said the most frustrating aspect of the evening was simply the result.
“The most frustrating thing is that we lost the game,” he added.
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