United Hammered 4-1 at Como as Captain Fernandes Slams Carrick's Tactics

Manchester United slumped deeper into crisis on Wednesday night with a 4-1 Champions League defeat away to Como in Italy. Conceding in the second minute, United never recovered, and a stoppage-time consolation goal from Joshua Zirkzee did little to soften a humbling scoreline.

The defeat extended United's winless run to seven matches. They have taken only three points from their opening three Champions League matches, and their next fixture in the competition is at home to AS Roma — leaving manager Michael Carrick under mounting scrutiny.

After the match, captain Bruno Fernandes voiced his frustration publicly about the team's mentality and approach. He told TNT Sports that United started on the wrong foot, conceded very early, did not apply enough pressure on the ball and showed too few good movements off it, with many things simply not going their way.

Fernandes said conceding early sent the team into the game with a 'mood of defeat'. He explained that the coaching staff's decision was not to press man-to-man but to leave space and wait for the ball, adding that when you give space to teams like Como, they grow in confidence.

Asked whether his comments amounted to criticism of Carrick's tactics, Fernandes said that was for the manager and staff to see, not him. At the same time, he said players sometimes have to be braver under pressure and take the risk of pressing high to make opponents uncomfortable.

Carrick, for his part, took responsibility himself. The 45-year-old manager told TNT Sports the result was more than disappointing, that everybody had to take responsibility, and that responsibility for the overall team and performance stopped with him.

Carrick added that, as a supporter of the club, a performance like that was unacceptable and that he had to apologise for it. In his words, the motivation, purpose and intensity a football match requires were simply not brought by his side that day.

The pattern of the match told the same story. After Como's second-minute opener, United's defence repeatedly unravelled while their attack never found any rhythm, making Zirkzee's late goal merely a cosmetic reduction of the margin.

With three points from three Champions League matches, United's path to the next round has become difficult. The home game against Roma now shapes as a near must-win fixture for Carrick's team.

All told, the night in Como laid bare the depth of United's current troubles — a heavy defeat, a captain's public frustration and a manager's apology combining to bring the pressure inside the club into the open. Unless results turn quickly, questions over Carrick's future will only grow louder.