COMO, Italy — Manchester United coach Michael Carrick and captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to trade criticism of each other after Carrick’s future was thrown into doubt following a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Como.
United fell to their fifth defeat in 11 games this season with a miserable performance at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on Wednesday night.
Afterward, Fernandes, who was subbed off after 67 minutes, appeared to question Carrick’s tactics by saying, “It was a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind.”
The comments were put to Carrick in his postmatch news conference before the 45-year-old responded with his own dig at Fernandes and the rest of the squad.
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“We actually were half-pressed man-to-man in the second half and then conceded a goal from that,” Carrick said.
“And 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 aren’t going to win.”
The messy war of words between Carrick and his captain will only ramp up the feeling that Carrick’s future could be in doubt.
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He signed a two-year contract in May after leading United to a third-place finish in the Premier League, but he’s under mounting pressure after a run of seven games without a win.
Asked afterward whether he fears he could be sacked, Carrick, who apologized to the travelling supporters after the final whistle, said: “Listen, I’ve not given my own position any thought. This is for the supporters; I was one of them watching that, and I wasn’t happy at all.
“I’m really angry, to be honest. We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight wasn’t acceptable. I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure.”
