Manchester United’s European campaign unravelled in humiliating fashion as Como swept them aside 4-1, leaving Michael Carrick under mounting pressure and exposing an increasingly public split over how the side should approach major continental nights.
The defeat was especially stark given Como’s recent history. When United last won the Champions League in 2008, the Italian club were playing in Serie D. Now, led by Cesc Fàbregas and featuring Nico Paz, Como delivered one of the most damaging European results in United’s modern history.
United also entered an unwanted record book. They became the first English side ever to concede inside the opening two minutes of two successive major European matches, a sign of the frailty that again shaped their evening in Italy.
Fernandes questions United’s approach
Bruno Fernandes did not hide his frustration after being substituted for Joshua Zirkzee midway through the second half. Matheus Cunha and Andrey Santos, two Ineos signings whose combined fees exceeded €120 million, had already been taken off at half-time.
The United captain pointed to the team’s reluctance to press Como aggressively, arguing that the visitors had allowed their opponents too much control.
“It is the coaching staff’s choice not to press man for man,” Fernandes said. “At times they leave room behind them while trying to win the ball back, but when you give this kind of team too much possession, they gain confidence.”
Asked whether Carrick had got the tactical plan wrong, the Portugal international stopped short of directly blaming his manager, but made clear what he believed was needed.
“That is for the coach and his staff to assess, not me,” Fernandes said. “Sometimes you have to be braver when you are under pressure, accept the risk of pressing higher and make the opposition uncomfortable.”
Carrick apologises but will not discuss his future
Carrick answered Fernandes’ remarks by shifting the focus from shape to effort. “Whatever system or tactics you use, if you do not run — forwards and backwards — you will not win,” he said.
The United manager declined to answer questions about his own position. Carrick signed a two-year contract after winning 12 of the 17 matches he oversaw last season, but the scale of the Como defeat has intensified scrutiny around him.
He instead offered an unequivocal apology to the travelling support.
“I have to apologise to the fans,” Carrick said. “I feel this club as much as anyone, perhaps more, because of the role I have and how highly I value this institution. To play that way is unacceptable.”
After the final whistle, Carrick repeatedly raised his hands towards the United fans as he went over to acknowledge them. The gesture prompted comparisons with Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s apology after United’s 4-1 defeat at Watford in November 2021, a result followed by his dismissal 24 hours later.
Carrick insisted, however, that there was no special message in approaching the supporters on this occasion.
“I always go to the fans, whatever happens, so there was no particular reason to do it this time,” he said. “It is a way of showing appreciation and recognising what they have been through and how they have backed the team in recent weeks. As I said, I was one of them too.”
He added that United’s performance had failed the standards associated with the club. “I feel what they feel. This club has many values; we stand for something and there is a way we do things. We can win or lose, but the way we went about the game tonight was not acceptable. I only wanted the supporters to know that I share their feelings.”
For United, the consequence of the 4-1 loss is more than a painful scoreline. A European defeat to a rapidly rising Como side has turned the days ahead into a test of Carrick’s authority, his tactical direction and his ability to restore belief before another continental night arrives.
