Michael Carrick’s future as Manchester United manager is in the balance after a humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como on Wednesday night.
Before Bournemouth’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday his future may be discussed by Jason Wilcox, the director of football, Omar Berrada, the chief executive, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner who controls sporting policy.
On a torrid night an “angry” Carrick insisted afterwards that he had not given his position any thought and was forced to defend himself against Bruno Fernandes after his captain questioned the manager’s tactics of not pressing against Cesc Fàbregas’s team. Carrick also criticised his side for not running. The defeat by Como in the third Champions League group game leaves United with only two wins all season from 11 games. Carrick’s side are in 13th place in the Premier League and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup last month.
The 45-year-old was asked if he fears for his job. “Listen, I’ve not given my own position any thought,” he said. “[My thoughts are] for the supporters – I was one of them watching that and I wasn’t happy at all.”
Carrick was then asked if he could walk away following the latest defeat in Europe. “No. It’s not about me right now and my feelings in that regard,” the manager said. “It’s more of as a team and as a football club, what we want to look like, what we should look like. And as I said, the results can come and go at times, but you got to do it in a certain way. And that wasn’t it.”
700 United supporters travelled. At the end around 200 remained and Carrick went to apologise to them, noticeably ignoring his players. After United conceded Nico Paz’s second-minute goal, Carrick’s men were unable to mount any resistance. By 57 minutes Como led 3-0, due to Tasos Douvikas’s strike and Paz’s second, before Jacobo Ramón completed the scoring for the Italian side on 76 minutes. Joshua Zirkzee netted in added time for the visitors.
Fernandes openly challenged Carrick’s strategy during the match. “It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence,” he said.
The captain was asked if Carrick’s tactics were wrong. “That’s on the manager and staff to see, not me,” he said. “Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable. As you saw with them, the centre-back was coming to mark me in my own half. We need to do that as a team but we were unable to.”
Fernandes’s criticism was put to his manager after the match. “We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that,” Carrick said.
“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.”
Carrick was asked how he can raise the mood before Bournemouth’s visit. “I’m bitterly disappointed, I’m frustrated; more than frustrated, I’m really angry. But you’ve got to move on. You 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. I have to apologise to the supporters.”
