Carrick hits back at Fernandes after United lose 1-4 to Como

Manchester United were beaten 1-4 by Como, leaving the club winless in seven consecutive games across all competitions for the first time since an eight-match run between November and December 2015. Bruno Fernandes criticised the coaching staff after the match, saying the decision not to press man-to-man was theirs to make.

Fernandes told TNT Sports that giving the opposition too much time on the ball made them confident and left United's players frustrated and worn out. He added that it was on the manager and the staff to see the problem and address it, and that it was not on him.

Carrick hit back by defending the tactical approach while pointing to a lack of effort off the ball. He said United half pressed man-to-man in the second half and ended up conceding a goal from that. Whatever tactics you play, if you do not run back, you are not going to win.

The United manager said he was really angry and that playing in that way was not acceptable. Como, under Cesc Fabregas, qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history and outperformed their expected goals of 2.04 by scoring four. United's expected goals of 1.05 was poor for a Champions League night.

United will next face a test of whether the squad can respond to the public disagreement between captain and manager.

Related on Apex Sports News

• Bruno Fernandes questions Michael Carrick’s tactics after Manchester United’s 1-4 loss to Como

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Sources

• ESPN

• Hindustan Times

• Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)