EPL: ‘I feel sorry for Carrick’ – Ljungberg slams Man United star after defeat to Chelsea
Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg has voiced strong criticism of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez following the team’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. Ljungberg expressed his discomfort with Martinez’s conduct during the match, stating it made him “feel sick.”
Martinez received a red card in the 63rd minute after receiving a second yellow card for raising his arm against Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana. The dismissal had significant ramifications for United, as Cole Palmer converted the ensuing penalty, increasing Chelsea’s lead to 2-0. Earlier, Morgan Rogers had opened the scoring for the home team, deftly lifting the ball over United goalkeeper Senne Lammens after navigating through the defense.
In comments reported by Metro, Ljungberg expressed sympathy for Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, contending that the players were not sufficiently protecting him from criticism. He noted that Carrick has faced significant scrutiny regarding his coaching abilities while the players have failed to deliver on the field.
“I feel sorry for Michael Carrick,” Ljungberg stated. “Everybody is slaughtering Carrick in the media, questioning if he is good enough as a coach. The players are not doing it.”
Ljungberg specifically criticized Martinez’s actions, suggesting that the defender has made repeated errors without considering their impact on the team. “I’ve seen this quite a few times when he does stupid things and doesn’t think about the team first. They let him down,” he said.
In response to inquiries from TNT Sports about whether Martinez had let him down, Carrick declined to place blame directly on the defender, responding with a brief “No.” However, he did acknowledge the incident involving Martinez during his post-match remarks.
The defeat leaves Manchester United in a precarious position, sitting 17th in the Premier League standings with just seven points from nine matches—above the relegation zone solely on goal difference. Additionally, the result extends United’s winless streak across all competitions to nine matches, reflecting a challenging start to the season. The team has achieved only two victories in 13 matches this season, with wins against Ipswich in the Premier League and Sabah in the Champions League.
