At moments like this, all you can do is say the right things.
Say the defeat was disappointing, that the performance was not what was hoped for and that lessons will be learned. Say the team will respond in a positive way.
It is not in Michael Carrick's nature to throw players under the bus.
Unlike his predecessor, he will never say "this is maybe the worst team in the history of Manchester United", Ruben Amorim offering that opinion just over a year ago after a home defeat by Brighton.
But Carrick is no-one's fool either. He knows the 11 days between the chastening 2-1 defeat by 10-man Newcastle at St James' Park and the visit of Aston Villa to Old Trafford on 15 March could be the most important of his season.
