Michael Carrick now finds himself in the same position as every single Manchester United manager post-Sir Alex Ferguson: facing the sack.
Last night’s calamitous display away to Champions League newbies Como saw the side round off a seven-game winless streak – their worst since the end of 2015.
Carrick appears to be braced for the worst
(Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
United slumped to a 4-1 defeat in Italy, meaning they have now overseen back-to-back UCL defeats, having lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid last Tuesday.
After the referee called time on the visitors’ humiliation and blew his whistle, Carrick went over to the away supporters – those that had stayed until the end – to hold his hands up and apologise.
However, Samuel Luckhurst noted that it was a scene akin to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final outing as United boss, when he did the same after a 4-1 loss to Watford before being relieved of his duties.
How did United react?
(Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Post-match, Carrick did take full responsibility for the torrid performance, though he did remark: “If you don’t run forward and you don’t run back, you aren’t going to win.”
Bruno Fernandes, who was surprisingly withdrawn in the 66th minute when United were trailing 3-0, spoke openly on the coaching staff’s chosen tactics, seemingly looking to make it clear to fans that the squad is only doing what they’ve been told to do.
“It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence,” the captain told TNT Sports.
Further pressed on whether he believed Carrick got said tactics wrong, Fernandes responded: “That’s on the manager and staff to see, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.”
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.