Michael Carrick calls Man Utd’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como “unacceptable” but says he has not given his own position any thought.
MICHAEL CARRICK admitted Manchester United were difficult to watch during an “unacceptable” 4-1 Champions League thrashing by Como on Wednesday, but insisted he is not concerned about losing his job as manager.
The three-time European champions were outclassed by the Italian debutants at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia as the embarrassing defeat extended their winless run to seven matches in all competitions.
Carrick’s position has come under scrutiny amid United’s slump, which has included their worst start to a league season for 40 years, but he told a press conference that he was not fearing for his position.
“I have not given my own position any thought,” Carrick said.
The Old Trafford boss insisted that his apology to the travelling fans at the end of the game held no extra significance as pressure builds on his position.
“I always go over to the fans regardless,” Carrick said.
“It wasn’t a particularly different reason why I went over. I think it’s the appreciation and the acknowledgement of what they have gone through, and they have done over a period of a few weeks now. But particularly tonight.”
United fell behind inside two minutes to a Nico Paz goal, becoming the first English team ever to concede in the opening two minutes of two consecutive major European matches, having gone behind one minute into a 2-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid last week.
Cesc Fabregas’s side romped into a deserved 4-0 lead in northern Italy before substitute Joshua Zirkzee pulled back a stoppage-time consolation and Carrick admitted he was alarmed by the manner in which his team were outplayed.
“For us to play in that way, it’s not acceptable,” he said. “It wasn’t a good performance at all. We wanted to build on what we brought and the performance we had at Leeds (a 1-1 draw).
“That bit of intensity, that spirit, that aggression, that real willingness to give everything. Tonight was the total opposite performance. I have to say, it was tough to watch.”
‘Not right at all’
“There’s a lot going through my mind, watching that,” he continued. “Genuinely, it’s difficult to understand how it can be so different (to the Leeds performance).
“It shouldn’t be like that. We can all play well, we can all have poor performances, but to do it in that manner is really not right at all.”
Next up for Carrick’s side is a home Premier League game against Bournemouth on Sunday.
“I’m frustrated, more than frustrated, I’m really angry to be honest,” Carrick said.
“You’ve got to move on, you’ve got to deal with what’s next and see what that looks like. At this moment in time, there’s a lot to do before that next game to get the team ready because that was a difficult night for everyone tonight.”
It was a landmark victory for Como, competing in their first European campaign after last season’s stunning fourth-place finish in Serie A under Fabregas.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder led the club from the second tier to the Champions League in just three years, and thrashing Manchester United marked one of the greatest nights in the club’s modest history.
However, Fabregas refused to get carried away.
“We must have a mentality to go out and do well in every match. I understand that beating Manchester United has more value, for the media, than normal,” Fabregas said.
“But Sassuolo are a great team and who will make life very difficult on Saturday (in Serie A) and we need to be at the same level, maybe even better, to win that game.
“So stay calm, humble, feet on the ground. The path does not change. This match doesn’t change anything. We are at the start of everything.
“We are three years in against teams that have a lot more years than us, so we must keep going and nothing more.”