Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Senne Lammens backs Carrick and says the Manchester United dressing room remains united, despite a week of public criticism from inside it. The goalkeeper spoke before Sunday's Premier League fixture against Bournemouth.
United lost at Como in the Champions League in midweek. Captain Bruno Fernandes gave a post-match interview questioning the coach and his staff's tactics. A week earlier, Lisandro Martinez had raised questions about the club's hierarchy and ambition.
Michael Carrick answered with a five-minute monologue in his pre-match news conference on Friday. He spoke about humility and humbleness. The message was aimed at the changing room.
Lammens backs Carrick and denies a split dressing room
Asked whether the group was united, Lammens said: "For me personally, I think it is." He said frustration after defeats produces words players do not fully mean, or do not fully explain.
He said the staff, the players and the front office are all behind the coach. He also said the group accepts it has to improve.
"Everyone knows, of course, they have to do better, but I think we are united and we are trying to get better as a team and together."
Lammens said supporters cannot see the internal picture from outside. He said the team has to show that unity on the pitch at the weekend, and that narratives and headlines have been aimed at the squad all season.
Slow starts and one clean sheet this season
Against Como, United conceded inside the first few minutes. The same pattern appeared 60 seconds earlier against Atletico Madrid the previous week. The side also started poorly against Fulham and Tottenham either side of the international break.
United have kept one clean sheet this season, against Sabah on September 10 in the Champions League. Lammens said an early goal against disrupts the plan and forces the team to chase the game from that point.
"That's probably one of the biggest things we need to work on right now is to keep ourselves in the game and to try and get that first goal ourselves, instead of being 1-0 down straight away."
He rejected the idea that the fix is a matter of effort. "Trust me, we are trying harder every day and trying to come up with a solution," he said. He added that one performance can turn a run around.
What changed from last season
United are seven games without a win in all competitions, their worst run since 2014-15. Carrick did not deflect after Como. He admitted his side lacked aggression, intensity and running — three qualities present in his first five months, when United beat Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Lammens said last season "everything just clicked". United operated more as a counter-attacking team and conceded few goals. Opponents have since adjusted, which is why the staff used preseason to change elements of the style.
"I think we need a little bit more like last season, the way we fought together, even when it wasn't going the best and just trying to fight as a team and defend as a team."
He described the balance as a fine line. Calmness in possession and the ability to play through a press sit on one side. The aggression required without the ball sits on the other.
Bournemouth fixture and what to watch
United face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday. Coverage starts at 12.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event, with kick-off at 2pm.
The opening minutes are the measurable point. United's season has been shaped by conceding first, and the clean-sheet count is one. Whether the side scores first, and whether the pressing and running Carrick identified as missing return, are the two indicators available inside 90 minutes.
This report draws on Sky Sports' interview with Senne Lammens, published at skysports.com.
