Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned the team's approach after a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como on Wednesday, according to BBC reporting. The loss, one of the heaviest in the club's European history, left head coach Michael Carrick facing questions about his position.
Carrick apologised to the roughly 700 travelling supporters after the final whistle. He walked across the pitch and raised his hands repeatedly toward the away section rather than going to his players first, the BBC reported.
Why it matters
The result extends United's winless run to seven matches in all competitions, their longest such stretch since an eight-game sequence under Louis van Gaal between late November and late December 2015, according to the BBC. United sit 13th in the Premier League, three points above bottom club Sunderland.
The evening also revived uncomfortable comparisons. Carrick's gesture toward the fans echoed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's response after a 4-1 loss at Watford in November 2021, which preceded his dismissal as manager by a day.
Captain points to the setup
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Fernandes said the staff chose not to press man to man, which left gaps for Como to exploit. He argued that allowing opponents that much possession builds their confidence.
Asked directly whether Carrick had got his tactics wrong, Fernandes declined to take the question himself, saying it was for the manager and staff to judge. He added that players sometimes need to press higher and take risks to make opponents uncomfortable.
Carrick was told about the comments in his press conference and answered briefly, per the BBC. He said that regardless of system or tactics, a team that does not run forward and back will not win.
Carrick takes responsibility and avoids future questions
Carrick declined to discuss his own position. He said he had not considered it and that his focus was on the supporters, describing himself as one of them watching the performance.
He apologised to the fans and called the display unacceptable, saying he cares about the club deeply and that the manner of the defeat troubled him as much as the scoreline. He said he always acknowledges away supporters and wanted them to know he shared their disappointment.
Carrick also said he gives everything he has to the job. He won five Premier League titles and the Champions League as a United player.
A collapse after a strong first season
Carrick was given a two-year contract after winning 12 of his 17 matches in charge last season, which returned United to the Champions League following a two-year absence, the BBC reported.
The current campaign has unravelled. United lost their opener to newly promoted Hull, then came from behind to beat Ipswich. They have not won in the Premier League since, and their only other victory in 11 games in all competitions came against Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK in the Champions League.
Joshua Zirkzee's goal in injury time was only a consolation and spared United a heavier place in their record books, the BBC reported.
The BBC noted the scale of the upset: when United were last crowned European champions in 2008, Como were a semi-professional side playing in Serie D before crowds of a few hundred.
Nico Paz, Como's standout player, scored after 118 seconds, set up the second goal and added a third. The BBC observed that if Paz asked to leave Como, most major European clubs would want him, and United's chances of signing him would be minimal.
During the match, United supporters directed chants against the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the defeat unfolded.
Some observers have spread part of the blame elsewhere, according to the BBC. Carrick has been criticised for a summer window in which the club signed three midfielders but added no competition at left-back for Luke Shaw or in attack for Benjamin Sesko. Sporting director Jason Wilcox has been defended on the basis that he worked within a budget set above him, including by chief executive Omar Berrada.
United host 15th-placed Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday. Before last season's 4-4 draw, the Cherries had won 3-0 on their two previous visits to Old Trafford.
What to watch: whether United's hierarchy makes any change around Carrick before the Bournemouth match.
