With the season approaching a critical stage, Michael Carrick
says the Reds are fully focused on seeing the job through to the
end…
With so many big games coming up, is there a real air of
excitement within the dressing room or a steely focus?
It’s a bit of both really. There’s always a real determination for
success and thankfully we’ve had that in recent years, but we want
it again. We’re English and European champions and we don’t want to
let either trophy go; we’re probably even more determined than we
were last year to stay on top. It’s great to be playing Saturday,
Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday – you can’t wait for the big games
to come and you just want to get out there and get the right
result. Hopefully we can do that.
Presumably the experience of going the distance in the last two
years helps…
Yes, it’ll stand us in good stead. You don’t consciously draw on
past experience, it just develops. You know what to expect in
certain situations and the things you didn’t do so well you try to
put right this time round. This is the stage when you need to go
out and get the job done and we’re determined to do that.
How big a part can the fans play?
They can play a huge part in every game. The matches in which
things aren’t going quite so well are the ones they pull you
through. It’s easy for supporters to get a bit frustrated in those
games, but our fans are always behind us which gives you a big
lift. They can make Old Trafford very intimidating for opposition
teams as well – I’m always glad to be playing for us when the fans
are really up for it!
On a personal note, how pleased have you been with your form
this season?
It’s been okay. I’m always looking to improve and I feel I have
each season since I joined. Playing with top players year in, year
out helps and as a team and a squad we’re getting better and
becoming stronger. When you play in a great side it makes your job
as an individual a lot easier in terms of improvement, and I hope
there’s still a lot more to come.
Your performances this season have earned you a lot of praise in
the media, but many fans would say it’s nothing new and you haven’t
received the recognition you deserve…
Well, it’s hard to comment when you’re talking about yourself! When
you play in a team that’s successful then everyone must be doing
something right. But I don’t mind who grabs the headlines – as long
as we’re sitting with one or two more trophies at the end of the
season and I’ve played my part then I’ll be happy.