Carrick accepts blame for United slump, backs himself to turn things around

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 23 : Manchester United manager Michael Carrick mounted an impassioned defence of his leadership on Friday, accepting responsibility for the club's collapse in form and saying he remains convinced he can lead the team out of their current crisis.

Carrick's position is under increasing pressure after United extended their winless run to seven matches in all competitions with Wednesday's humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como leaving them 20th in the table with three points.

Before taking questions ahead of Sunday's Premier League home game against Bournemouth, Carrick delivered an emotional opening statement, acknowledging supporters' frustrations and the scale of the challenge facing him.

"Recently, we haven't had a good time. I think that's pretty obvious. So I totally accept what we're going through at the moment," he said.

"We had five months of relative success (last season) in a spell where I was happy with a lot of things I was seeing and that we were doing as a team," he said.

"We haven't done well enough lately. We've had a spell that we're really not happy with."

Carrick described the loss in Italy as one of the most painful nights of his tenure.

"Wednesday was a bad night. It was a bad night for a lot of reasons. It hurt a lot," he said. "It obviously hurt me to see us play that way. As I said after the game, it was really unacceptable."

The defeat intensified scrutiny of Carrick after captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to question United's tactical approach in his post-match comments.

DRESSING ROOMS CRACKS?

Asked whether public criticism from players suggested cracks within the dressing room, Carrick rejected any suggestion the squad was split.

He also sidestepped questions over Fernandes'