Cesc Fabregas has admitted he instructed his Como players to ease off after they surged into a 4-0 lead against Manchester United in the Champions League. The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder, now managing the Italian club, oversaw one of the most memorable nights in Como's history as they swept aside the Red Devils on Wednesday night.
Joshua Zirkzee scored a late consolation for United, but the defeat leaves Michael Carrick's position under serious pressure. United have won just two of their 11 games in all competitions this season.
Fabregas Regrets Slowing the Tempo
Fabregas admitted the margin could have been even greater, revealing he told his players to conserve energy for upcoming fixtures after going 4-0 up. "I regret the last ten minutes because I was the one who told the team to slow down the tempo because there's another match and at 4-0 we could manage things a little," said the Spaniard.
"I told the players to stop running and stay in the middle and that is something I regret because I'm the first to always push them to fight until the end. Their goal hurt me because we dropped our intensity and dropped our defensive block, but it was my fault."
Carrick's Future in Doubt
Carrick, who signed a two-year deal in the summer following an impressive spell as caretaker boss, now faces a battle to remain as United manager. He gave a damning assessment of his players in his post-match press conference.
"We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight, I wouldn't say everyone, but the way we went about it in some ways tonight wasn't acceptable. And I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure," he said.
"It wasn't just the goals, if I'm totally honest. It was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, that was the difficult thing to watch for me. It's not about playing for me, it's about playing for this football club. It's the responsibility that comes with being in the position; I'm responsible for the football club and the supporters."
Carrick added: "I'm giving my best, absolute best all the time, I care about it. My whole life's wrapped around it. I genuinely give everything that I possibly can."
