The 1-4 defeat to Como has added to Manchester United’s concerns, with the result once again causing a senior player to speak out after the match. It follows Lisandro Martinez’s criticism after the loss to Atletico Madrid. While Martinez took aim at the club’s sporting director over recruitment, Bruno Fernandes pointed to Michael Carrick’s coaching staff and their tactics after the defeat to Como.
After the dismal performance, Manchester United are now winless in seven consecutive games across all competitions for the first time since an eight-match run between November and December 2015.
When asked about United's lack of cohesion while defending and pressing without the ball, Fernandes made it very clear that it was down to Carrick and his coaching staff. The reasoning was that if you give the opposition time on the ball, they become more confident, and you end up with your own players frustrated and worn out.
"It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave a little space in behind and try to get the ball in the first moment, to wait for them, to give them the ball," Fernandes told TNT Sports after the match.
"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, make people get frustrated, and then obviously when you recover the ball the legs are, and the brain, much more difficult to make it work."
{{/usCountry}}"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, make people get frustrated, and then obviously when you recover the ball the legs are, and the brain, much more difficult to make it work."
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Asked whether United’s tactical approach contributed to the defeat against Como, Fernandes made it clear the responsibility lay with Carrick and his coaching staff, saying it was their job to identify and address the problem.
"That's on the manager and on the staff to see it, it's not on me," said Fernandes.
"I just said, I think sometimes we have to be more brave on the pressure, trying to take a risk of getting that press very high and making them uncomfortable - as they did to us."
It was the second game in a row where Manchester United conceded a goal inside two minutes in the UCL. They were caught off guard in the first minute against Atletico, while Como scored in the second with Nico Paz breaching the defence.
“I'm really angry”: Carrick
Responding to Fernandes’s criticism, Carrick defended the tactical approach but pointed to United’s lack of effort off the ball as a bigger problem. The United manager said his side tried to press man-to-man in the second half but stressed no tactical setup would work without players tracking back.
"We half pressed man-to-man in the second half and ended up conceding a goal from that," Carrick told TNT Sports. "Whatever tactics you play, if you don't run back, you ain't going to win."
"I'm really angry," he said. "For us to play in that way is not acceptable."
United were completely outplayed by Como who, under Cesc Fabregas, have qualified for the UCL for the first time in their history. Como outperformed their xG of 2.04 (Opta Analyst) by scoring four goals, whereas United's xG of 1.05 was already quite poor for a UCL night.
Carrick did admit he'd look at the coaching staff's role in the defeat but made it clear that Manchester United's lack of intensity and lack of commitment was just as much to blame.
"I'll definitely look at what we've done [as a coaching staff] or if it's the motivation and the intention and the purpose and the intensity of a game of football you have to bring," he said. "We didn't bring that today.
“You can't turn it on and off and you can't choose when you want to perform or when you don't want to perform or when you give absolutely everything or when you maybe don't.”