Jamie Carragher insists there was a “mismatch in the dugout” as Michael Carrick’s Manchester United suffered a 4-1 defeat against Cesc Fabregas’ Como on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Match Performance and Reaction
The Red Devils were outplayed by the Serie A side as Nico Paz scored twice alongside goals from Anastasios Douvikas and Jacobo Ramón. Joshua Zirkzee managed a late consolation goal for the visitors.
Rio Ferdinand stated that Como made his former club look like they had won a raffle to participate in the tournament. Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes criticized the team’s tactical plan in a post-match interview, following Lisandro Martinez’s similar remarks the previous week.
After acknowledging his team’s display was unacceptable in his initial interview, Carrick told reporters in his press conference that Fernandes’ remarks were inaccurate. He then criticized his players for a lack of effort.
Carrick stated: “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.”
Carragher on Carrick’s Future
Football365 reports that Carragher believes this match could spell the end for Carrick following an embarrassing performance. Speaking on CBS Sports, he noted that the heavy defeat could lead to serious consequences for the manager.
Carragher said: “It’s embarrassing but I think the worst thing about it is I don’t think many people thought Manchester United could win tonight. So in some ways it doesn’t feel like a shock result. I think the manner of it is the shocking part. It’s such a bad result and such a bad performance that it could have serious repercussions for the manager. Good lad, good player, did really well last season, but again it looks like another Manchester United manager is going to bite the dust.”
When asked whether the result stemmed from coaching methods or squad quality, Carragher added: “I think it’s everything. I think in Cesc Fabregas we’re looking at the next big coach in European football – there’s obviously a mismatch in the dugout. But it’s everything about Manchester United. It’s a never-ending cycle. Is it the owners, the manager, the recruitment, the players? Nobody seems to be able to get this right.”
