Carrick's Leeds press conference: 'It's not about me'

Michael Carrick's press conference before Leeds was always going to be about two things: his job, and Lisandro Martinez. He was asked about both, and he answered both the same way, by taking himself out of the story.

On the pressure

"I don't need results. We all need results."

And a bit later: "It really is not about me." It's a decent answer. He isn't wrong that a manager talking about his own position only feeds the story. But six points from six games is the worst league start in 40 years, and five without a win in all competitions, and at some point "not about me" stops being humility and becomes a way of not answering. Head coaches are the people results are about. That's the job.

On Martinez

Carrick said Martinez had made his statement and acknowledges it was a mistake, and that the squad has moved on. He's part of the squad for Sunday.

That's the line the club needed from him, and it's the right call to play him. Martinez is one of the few defenders we have who'll win a header and talk to the people around him, and Elland Road is not the place to make a point by leaving him out. Whether he plays well after a week like this is another matter.

On Leeds

"I think Daniel's doing a fantastic job."

He praised Farke and described Elland Road plainly: "It brings an intensity. It's a fantastic atmosphere." He's right on both. Leeds have been well organised all season, and they took four points off us last season.

The line that should worry us

None of the quotes above, actually. The one that matters is the absence of a plan for the forward line. Šeško is still out, with no date, and Carrick didn't give one. We scored once in the last two games, and that goal was one moment from Mbeumo rather than anything we built.

If the answer to "who scores on Sunday" is the same as it was against Spurs and in Madrid, then it doesn't really matter how calm the press conference was.

The full preview is going up tomorrow. Until then, here's the Martinez apology and the rivalry, if you need reminding.