Xabi Alonso has “great sympathy” for Michael Carrick but insisted the situation around the under-pressure Manchester United manager will not impact Chelsea‘s approach to their Premier League fixture with the Red Devils on Saturday.
Carrick is under huge scrutiny following United’s dismal start to his first season as manager after a successful interim spell last term.
United have taken just seven points from their opening eight Premier League games, leaving them 16th and just a point above the relegation zone. They are out of the EFL Cup and have lost two of their opening three Champions League games.
Yet Carrick has been given the chance to turn their fortunes around despite talk United have already discussed potential successors.
The home fans at Old Trafford were vocal in their support for Carrick following their 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth last Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes was left on the bench for that game having questioned Carrick’s tactics in their 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como, and supporters sang Carrick’s name as he went down the tunnel, before making their feelings clear by immediately then booing the players.
Fernandes and Carrick have since held clear-the-air talks as United aim to get things back on track, though a trip to Stamford Bridge represents another difficult test.
Chelsea are in a much healthier position under Alonso, sitting fifth with 13 points, but are themselves looking to rediscover a winning feeling after following up a 2-0 loss to Tottenham by going out of the EFL Cup with a penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool.
And Alonso is not focused on the drama around United as he looks to lead his team to a bounce-back win.
“I have great respect, I have great sympathy for Michael as a manager,” Alonso told a pre-match press conference.
“I know him because we have played against each other. We played recently in a legends game and we had a little chat. He is a good guy and one you want to be around. Aside from that, it is not for me to comment.”
Asked if the issues at United alter Chelsea’s attitude to the game, he replied: “For me, it doesn’t change. We need to prepare the same way.
“We can only control what we can control. We know they are a good team, it doesn’t matter about the table. They have a good squad, good player, good manager.
“We are back in Premier League mode and that for me is the main competition for us – this year and almost every year.
“It is a big one. We didn’t have long to prepare but it’s really important after the last home game we had that we keep winning games and get that winning feeling.
“As soon as we left Liverpool, we were thinking about United. I saw a better version of us on Wednesday than I did on Saturday, even though the result wasn’t what we wanted in either. This is a journey where we will have tough moments and we need to learn from them.”
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