Bruno Fernandes has turned on head coach Michael Carrick following one of the most humiliating nights in Manchester United’s European history — a 4-1 Champions League hammering at Como that has left Carrick’s job hanging by a thread.
Bruno Fernandes (Credits: BBC Sport)
Fernandes Questions Carrick’s Tactics
The United captain, taken off in the 67th minute, inflicted serious damage when he spoke to TNT Sports after the match. Criticising the team’s approach, Fernandes 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.”
Asked directly whether Carrick got his tactics wrong, the skipper 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.”
Those words will sting at Carrington. Fernandes is widely regarded as a football obsessive who understands tactics as well as anyone in the United squad — when he questions the gameplan publicly, it carries weight.
Carrick Fires Back
Told of Fernandes’ comments in his post-match press conference, Carrick offered a curt response: “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.”
Carrick, who ignored his beaten players after the final whistle to march across the pitch and repeatedly hold his hands up to the 700 travelling fans — echoing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s apology at Watford in November 2021, a night that led to his dismissal 24 hours later — refused to answer questions about his own future.
“I have to apologise to the supporters,” he said. “For us to play in that way is not acceptable. I care about this football club as much as anyone… We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight wasn’t acceptable.”
A Season Unravelling
Carrick was appointed permanent boss on a two-year contract in May after winning 12 of his 17 games in charge last season to guide United back into the Champions League after a two-year absence.
But the new campaign has unravelled spectacularly. United sit 13th in the Premier League, just three points clear of bottom club Sunderland. They have not won in the league since coming from behind to beat Ipswich after a shock opening-day defeat to newly promoted Hull, and their only other success in 11 games in all competitions came against Sabah FK of Azerbaijan in the Champions League.
Also Read: Michael Carrick Demands More Clean Sheets as Man United’s Defensive Crisis Deepens Before Como Clash
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
