MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has branded claims that his side lacked motivation in their defeat to Hull City as “lazy.”
Carrick’s team have been accused of playing without passion and flight in their 2-0 defeat at MKM Stadium on the opening weekend of the season.
But the United head coach has defended his squad and insisted he has no complaints with their desire to win the game.
“Teams lose games and win games, and it’s not just because you try or you don’t try,” Carrick told a news conference.
“There are all sorts of different reasons. Teams lose games, so there’s different reasons. I don’t have to give you the total reason, because we know what we’re trying to improve on.
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“I think it’s so easy and lazy to just say ‘team loses a game, everything’s wrong.’ This is wrong, this is wrong, not trying enough, not enough passion.”
United face Ipswich at Old Trafford on Sunday looking to pick up their first points of the season.
Carrick lost two games last season — against Leeds and Newcastle — and on both occasions bounced back with a win.
“I think success comes from how well you deal with setbacks in the end,” Carrick added.
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“In any position, certainly any sport, particularly this one, going through a season, there’s going to be setbacks, sometimes a bit smaller than others.
“I think it ultimately decides what type of team you’re going to become. So far, we’ve dealt with those setbacks really well, within games, game to game.
“We had one last week. No getting away from it and it’s disappointing. But we look to bounce back. We had a good week, boys are refocused, learned from where we could have improved, and keep pushing forward.”
