Michael Carrick reached exactly five months in charge of Manchester United on Thursday, but any cause for celebration was overshadowed by a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Como. The European loss extended United’s winless streak to seven matches across all competitions and deepened their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign.
Transfer Frustrations and Dressing Room Friction
The setback in Italy brought internal tension into the open, with Carrick admitting he was “angry” while club captain Bruno Fernandes openly questioned the tactical approach. That critique followed comments from Lisandro Martinez the previous week, in which the defender questioned recruitment decisions directed toward technical director Jason Wilcox.
United invested £163 million during the summer transfer window, a total surpassed by nine Premier League rivals, including promoted sides Hull City and Ipswich Town. While recruitment focused heavily on central midfield, the club failed to reinforce either left-back or the central striking position. As a result, Carrick was left with a squad ill-equipped to transition from a 40-match schedule last season into the demands of Champions League football and domestic progression.
Fitness Deficits and Attacking Struggles
Physical readiness has become another major issue following a congested summer calendar. Youri Tielemans indicated that pre-season involved a reduced running workload, and United have subsequently been out-run by their opponents in six of their seven Premier League matches, only reversing the trend against a Manchester City side reduced to ten men for over an hour. Their deficiencies off the ball were heavily punished again in midweek, prompting Carrick to state: “If you don’t run back, you ain’t going to win,”
At the same time, the attacking unit has stalled. Fernandes has registered only one goal involvement across his last nine appearances, with all four of his Premier League contributions this season arriving in a single match against Ipswich Town. Since that fixture, the Portuguese playmaker has managed just two shots on target from 12 attempts as his chance-creation rate dropped by half compared to last season.
The absence of injured forward Benjamin Sesko has deprived the side of a conventional target, forcing Fernandes into an ineffective false-nine role against Como. Although United have taken more shots than any other team this season, they rank joint-worst in expected goals per shot due to a reliance on low-percentage efforts from distance.
Defensive Vulnerabilities and Sunday’s Outlook
Defensive instability has compounded those attacking problems, leaving United without a single clean sheet all season. Full-backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui struggled in Italy, while Matthijs de Ligt completed a taxing display during his first match in 11 months. Carrick’s selection options have been restricted by injuries to Martinez and Luke Shaw, illness for Ayden Heaven, and a suspension served by Leny Yoro, while summer midfield signing Carlos Baleba continues to work back toward full fitness.
United could welcome back up to four of their nine sidelined players for Sunday’s league fixture against Bournemouth, with Yoro, Martinez, Heaven, and Marcus Rashford potentially returning to the squad. Fernandes stressed that the team must urgently address its psychological approach after conceding within two minutes at Como.
“Conceding the goal very early makes us feeling, going into the game, already in a mood of a defeat,” Fernandes said. “It’s very difficult to get out of that at the moment, without being ourselves and trying to push and trying to be brave, trying to have the ball, trying to make something happen. If we’re not able to do that it’s going to be very difficult to get out of this situation.”
Source: SkySports | News
