Michael Carrick hit back at pointed comments from Bruno Fernandes and heavily criticised his players as he was left ‘really angry’ by Manchester United’s 4-1 defeat at Como.
Managed by former Arsenal and Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas, Como are playing in the Champions League for the first time in their history but looked very much at ease against one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Goals from Nico Paz(2), Tasos Douvikas and Jacobo Ramon put the Italians 4-0 up, with only a late Joshua Zirkzee consolation giving the traveling fans something to cheer.
It has been a terrible start to the season for the Red Devils and the cracks that have already appeared are getting bigger, with captain Fernandes taking shots at Carrick and his coaching staff.
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Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, the Portuguese said: ‘It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave a bit of space in behind and then try to get the ball in the first moment to wait for them, to give them the ball.
‘But sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams, they get confident, they have so many bodies behind the ball that make you run a lot which makes people get frustrated.
‘And then, when we recover the ball, the legs and the brain are much more difficult to make it work.’
On whether Carrick got things wrong tactically, Fernandes said: ‘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.’
The Manchester United boss, who has won just one of seven Premier League games this campaign, hit back at the criticism, blasting the efforts of his players on Wednesday night.
Carrick has largely defended his players so far during an underwhelming campaign, but said after the loss in Lombardy: ‘I’m bitterly disappointed, I’m frustrated, more than frustrated, I’m really angry.’
He responded to Fernandes’ criticism by hammering the effort of his players: ‘We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that.
‘And there’s a little bit on 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 ain’t going to win.
‘We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight, I wouldn’t say everyone, but the way we went about it in some ways tonight wasn’t acceptable. And I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure.
‘It wasn’t just the goals, if I’m totally honest. It was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, that was the difficult thing to watch for me.’
Asked if he felt his players were still playing for him, he said: ‘It’s not about playing for me, it’s about playing for this football club. It’s the responsibility that comes with being in the position; I’m responsible for the football club and the supporters.
‘I’m giving my best, absolute best all the time, I care about it. My whole life’s wrapped around it. I genuinely give everything that I possibly can.’
Asked if his players were giving as much as him, the beleaguered boss said: ‘I would like to think so, I didn’t like what I saw tonight though.’
The Red Devils host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday, with enormous pressure on the manager to win a game his team should be huge favourites for.
