Carrick: There are many factors behind the defeat, I don't need to tell you all of them

At 23:30 BST (CEST) on 30 August, Manchester United will host Ipswich Town in their second Premier League match. After the media embargo ended, excerpts from Manchester United manager Michael Carrick's pre-match press conference were released. This article is the first part of that content.

Hi Michael, at the start of the summer, I think it's fair to say you were considering recruiting another coach, potentially bringing a set-piece specialist into your coaching staff...

I never said anything like that, no.

However, I think at the time it was suggested, and if that's what you were looking for at the time, and it was considered a possibility, I just wanted to know if there's been any progress there, and whether it's still something you want to add to your coaching staff?

No, no, we're very happy with the coaching staff we have now, yes.

In the second half of last season, you had some setbacks, against Leeds United and Newcastle United in consecutive matches. In both cases, you bounced back in the next game. I think especially after the Leeds game, you went to Stamford Bridge and won beautifully. In those weeks where you faced setbacks and had to recalibrate and restart the team, did you find something very important? I don't know, perhaps resetting the team, and then moving forward again?

Yeah, listen, this... I think ultimately, your only real measure of success depends on how well you deal with setbacks. In any position, or of course in any sport, especially this sport, over a full season, there will definitely be setbacks, big and small. Sometimes the setbacks will be smaller, sometimes they will be bigger.The key is how you handle it initially, how you react to it, and what happens next. I think that ultimately determines what kind of team you'll be.

So far, in matches and from one game to the next, we've handled these setbacks very well. We did have a setback last week, we couldn't avoid it, and it was disappointing, but we're hopeful of bouncing back with a win. We've had a very good week, the players have refocused, learned where we can improve, and we're moving forward.

Regarding that, it's actually more about our performance in the Hull City match than just the result. You have your captain, Bruno Fernandes, and you also have Youri Tielemans, who is the captain of Belgium's national team and knows exactly what he's doing. Did you get enough leadership from both players when you needed it most on the pitch?

It's just one match, so I think we have plenty of leadership in the dressing room, and we will have it throughout the season. Just because we lost one game doesn't mean it's purely a leadership issue, or someone can say "lack of spirit" to me after the match. It's much more than that. Conceding two goals from set pieces like we did really changed the course of the game.

That's actually what I was going to ask next. We could say you were somewhat annoyed by Fjørtoft's question about spirit. If there was spirit there, then why wasn't there a good performance? Because to my untrained eye, it didn't look like...

You've been following football for a long time, haven't you? You've watched football for a long time, and teams lose and win matches, and it's not just down to whether you try hard or don't try hard.

So what was the reason? Why did you lose that match?

There are various reasons why a team loses a match, so there are indeed many different factors.

Can you be more specific?

I don't need to tell you all of them.

Not all of them, just one?

We know exactly what we need to improve, but I want to say to you, I think it's too easy and too lazy – when a team loses a match, to assume everything's wrong, this isn't right, that isn't right, not trying hard enough, not enough spirit. It's like the standard, obvious answer, but I think football matches have many complex factors.

Michael, but what about the way the match was played? I'm not talking about the result itself, the match was lost, but the manner in which your team lost...

But it's still just one match, and we may have played like that before and ended up winning the match, and at that point everyone would exclaim, "Great team, brilliant manager, a group of great players," especially when we manage a 1-0 win. So from my perspective, when you analyze it, you can't just go by feelings. Because feelings are subjective; we need to dig deeper and understand the technical details, and that's what we do. When we win certain matches, we don't get carried away, because we know the performance wasn't perfect; and sometimes when you lose a match, we're also very clear on where we need to improve.

But certainly, at certain times, we can handle it more clearly and calmly, to understand this, and always maintain belief – belief in the things we're working hard to do well – and we certainly will do well – which will help us win matches.

Hi Michael, now that you've brought in three new central midfielders, you have a fresh look in that area of the pitch, a different combination of personnel. What's your view on the squad setup right now? If someone had told you in May that you'd now have these midfield options, would you be pleased with the players currently in the squad?

I think we have a very good balance, we certainly have youth there, and when I mention youth, that also comes with plenty of experience. Not naïve, inexperienced youth, but, you know, 22, 22, 21, which is the perfect age in the top-level league we're competing in now. Plus Youri's experience and Mason Mount to provide balance, I think this can bring a different quality.

Of course, the key is selecting the right balance and the right combination at certain times. It's a long season, and after these opening few weeks with just one match, we'll be entering a busier schedule. I think this is a very strong midfield, a very strong unit overall, so I'm very pleased about that.

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