Bruno Fernandes Blasts Carrick Tactics After Man Utd's 4-1 Como Humiliation

Bruno Fernandes turns on Michael Carrick after Man Utd's 4-1 Champions League humiliation at Como

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned Michael Carrick's tactical approach after a 4-1 Champions League hammering at Como, while Carrick apologised to the 700 travelling fans but refused to discuss his future as head coach.

Result: Como 4-1 Manchester United
Competition: Champions League
Key moment: Nico Paz opened the scoring after 118 seconds and created the second
United's form: Seven games without a win; 13th in the Premier League
Next fixture: Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday

What was said

"It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, but sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confidence."
— Bruno Fernandes, speaking to TNT Sports after the defeat

Asked directly whether Carrick got his tactics wrong, Fernandes added: "That's on the manager and staff to see it, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable."

"There's a little bit of whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don't run, and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you aren't going to win."
— Michael Carrick, responding to Fernandes' comments in his post-match press conference

Carrick also addressed the supporters: "I have to apologise to the supporters. I care about this football club as much as anyone, if not more, with the position that I'm in and what I value this football club. For us to play in that way is not acceptable. I always go over to the fans anyway, regardless, so it wasn't a particularly different kind of reason why I went over. It's the appreciation and acknowledgement of what they've gone through and have done over a period of a few weeks now. As I said, I was one of them. I'm feeling the same as them. We've got a lot of values in this football club; what we represent and how we want to go about it. We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight wasn't acceptable. I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them. Listen. I've not given my own position any thought - this is for the supporters - I was one of them watching that and I wasn't happy all."

Carrick also said: "There was a lot going through my mind watching that. It was tough to watch. It wasn't just the goals, if I'm totally honest. It was was the manner and way we played at times. I'm giving my absolute best all the time, I care about it. My whole life is wrapped around it. It might go well, it might not go so well, but I genuinely give everything that I possibly can."

The numbers

Goals conceded: 4 (Nico Paz opened the scoring after 118 seconds, created the second, scored the third)
United's consolation: Joshua Zirkzee (injury-time)
Winless run: Seven games without a win – worst since eight under Louis van Gaal (25 Nov–28 Dec 2015)
Premier League position: 13th, three points clear of bottom club Sunderland
Record in charge: Won 12 of 17 games last season; two-year contract awarded
Away fans: 700 travelling supporters

Seven without a win – Man Utd's bleak picture

After winning 12 of his 17 games in charge last season to guide United back into the Champions League after a two-year absence, Carrick was given a two-year contract. However, as happened with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer five years ago, the new campaign has unravelled spectacularly and they are 13th in the Premier League, three points clear of bottom club Sunderland.

Although they recovered from their shock opening-day defeat to newly promoted Hull by coming from behind to beat Ipswich the following week, United have not won in the Premier League since. Their only other success in 11 games in all competitions came against Azerbaijan champions Sabah FK in the Champions League.

Their latest loss meant they have now gone seven games without a win, their worst run since they went eight without a victory under Louis van Gaal between 25 November and 28 December 2015. Only Joshua Zirkzee's injury-time consolation prevented United suffering their joint second-worst European defeat of all time.

The embarrassment was heightened by the knowledge that when they were last crowned European champions in 2008, Como were playing semi-professional football in front of a couple of hundred spectators in Serie D.

It is a basic reality that if Como's star man Nico Paz, who opened the scoring after 118 seconds, created the second and added a third goal, said he wanted to leave Como, virtually every big club in Europe would want to sign him and United's chances would be virtually non-existent.

They entertain 15th-placed Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday knowing that prior to last season's amazing 4-4 draw, the Cherries recorded 3-0 wins on their previous two visits to Old Trafford.

Why Fernandes' comments pile pressure on Carrick

Bruno Fernandes is widely accepted as a football obsessive who watches games regularly and understands the tactical side as well as any player in the United squad. His decision to publicly question the staff's pressing instructions – suggesting United should have been "more brave under pressure" and pressed high – is a significant escalation. It shifts blame from player execution to managerial strategy, and Carrick's curt response about running forward and back suggests he believes the players let him down.

The tactical divide is clear: Fernandes wanted a man-to-man press to unsettle Como's ball-players, while Carrick's staff apparently favoured a more zonal approach that left space behind. With Nico Paz exploiting that space to score one and create another inside the opening period, Fernandes' critique carries weight. Carrick's counter – that running matters more than system – is a classic manager's deflection, but it also hints at a deeper issue: a squad not executing instructions.

Carrick's position is now precarious. He apologised to the 700 travelling fans and refused to discuss his future, but United supporters sang against the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the shambolic evening unravelled. Both Carrick and sporting director Jason Wilcox have been absolved of partial blame by some; Carrick because he was let down badly in the summer transfer window, when the club signed three midfielders, but failed to bring in competition for Luke Shaw at left-back and Benjamin Sesko in attack. Wilcox too, because he had to work to a budget set by those above him, including chief executive Omar Berrada.

Talking points

Should Bruno Fernandes have publicly criticised Carrick's tactics, or is that a conversation for the dressing room?
Carrick's winless run mirrors Solskjaer's final days – is history repeating itself at Old Trafford?
With no competition for Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko, did the summer window doom Carrick from the start?
Nico Paz scored and created goals at will – why didn't United press him man-to-man as Fernandes wanted?

What happens next

United flew straight back to Manchester after the game. It remains to be seen whether the position around Carrick changes before Sunday's Premier League fixture against 15th-placed Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Bournemouth won 3-0 on their previous two visits to Old Trafford before last season's 4-4 draw. A defeat could leave United in the bottom three and force the club's hierarchy into a decision.

Frequently asked questions

What did Bruno Fernandes say about Michael Carrick's tactics?

Fernandes said it was a decision from the staff not to press man to man and to leave space behind, adding that United needed to be more brave under pressure and press high to make opponents uncomfortable.