The key facts

  • Como beat Manchester United 4:1 on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League group stage
  • United captain Bruno Fernandes publicly criticised the tactics of head coach Michael Carrick
  • Fernandes said the decision to play without man-marking pressing belonged to the coaching staff

Heavy away defeat

Manchester United suffered a heavy defeat on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League group stage, losing 1:4 away to Como. The English side's problems began right from the start: Como midfielder Nico Paz opened the scoring in the 2nd minute. After the break, the Italians made it a heavy scoreline — goals were scored by Anastasios Douvikas, Paz and Jakobo Ramon. The visitors replied with the only goal from Joshua Zirkzee in the 91st minute.

Fernandes criticises the tactics

After the match, a conflict arose in the United camp: team captain Bruno Fernandes, substituted in the 67th minute, openly questioned the correctness of the tactical plan chosen by head coach Michael Carrick for this match. According to the publication, the midfielder expressed disagreement with the abandonment of man-marking pressing, which allowed the opponent to act freely with the ball.

The captain's words

“This is not the first game in which we started badly and conceded quickly. When the opponent has the ball, we barely apply any pressure, and when we have it, we don't play with quality, almost nothing comes off. When you concede quickly, you get the feeling that you have already lost. It is hard to get out of such a situation: it is difficult to act braver, control the ball and create chances,” TNT Sports quoted Fernandes as saying.

Criticism of the coaching staff's decision

Fernandes stressed that the abandonment of man-marking pressing and waiting for a chance to win the ball back was the coaches' decision. “When teams like this are given too much freedom, they start to feel much more confident. It is not for me to judge this, but the head coach and his staff. Sometimes you need to act braver, take risks, apply pressure earlier and make things uncomfortable for the opponent. Their centre-back was meeting me already in the second half of the pitch — we needed to do that too, but we failed,” the footballer said. When a journalist directly asked whether the tactics chosen by Carrick were wrong, Fernandes avoided a direct answer but continued his criticism: “That is a question not for me, but for the coach and his staff. Sometimes you need to be braver, take risks when you are pressed, and apply pressure, making the opponent feel uncomfortable.”