Michael Carrick is facing mounting pressure as Manchester United manager after a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como on Wednesday, leaving his future at the club in serious doubt ahead of this weekend's match against Bournemouth.
United conceded within two minutes of the match at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium and had just 36 per cent possession during a first half that saw Carrick's attempt to build on a draw against Leeds unravel. The result was United's biggest European defeat since 1994 and made them the first team in history to concede in the first two minutes of a game in back-to-back European matches.
Pressure Mounts on Carrick
Before the match, Carrick said: "We want to build on Sunday, a little bit of a foundation on that, and control the game." The quote aged poorly as Como, a side promoted to the Italian top flight just two years ago, outclassed United in every department.
United's decision-makers may be forced to decide on Carrick's future before the Bournemouth game. The likelihood is that Carrick limps on to that fixture, but he is now on borrowed time, and it feels like a matter of when, not if, he becomes the latest United manager to be axed after initially showing promise.
Fans' Frustration and Tactical Issues
"Attack, attack, attack," was the desperate plea from the 700 travelling fans, who had spent hundreds of pounds to watch their team in the pouring rain, but it only took an hour for them to wish they hadn't bothered.
Carrick admitted his team's performance was unacceptable, though he may point to mitigating factors, namely the nine players unavailable for the trip due to injury, illness, or suspension. The options in defence were severely weakened, with United failing to sign a left-back or a striker in the transfer market.
Cesc Fabregas's Como tactically outclassed United, looking like the antithesis of the visitors: incredibly well-coached and able to press cohesively. United were reduced to looking like a Sunday pub team as their high press was played around, leaving the defence exposed.
Signs of a Manager on the Brink
Bruno Fernandes ran around like a headless chicken up front and began to lose his temper as United failed to get to grips with the home side. He shook his head when brought off, with no acknowledgement on the touchline from Carrick towards his captain.
The post-match scenes were reminiscent of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Vicarage Road five years ago. As Solskjaer did, Carrick sheepishly approached the away end to hold his hands up and apologise. The only difference was that Carrick was not booed, whereas Solskjaer was.
It is remarkable how quickly Carrick's tenure has unravelled. He won more points than any other Premier League manager during his interim stint last season, and just five months after securing Champions League football with three games to go, his time looks up.
Lisandro Martinez recently said "what about others?" when asked if it was right that the blame would fall on Carrick's shoulders. The United job gobbles up managers and spits them out, and while the buck always stops with the manager, fingers should be pointed upstairs again.
