Manchester United's Matheus Cunha was involved in a heated exchange with head coach Michael Carrick during Wednesday's Champions League defeat to Como, according to reports. The confrontation, which was not captured by television cameras, adds to growing tensions within the squad as the team's winless run extended to seven matches.
Champions League Defeat Deepens Crisis
Como secured a 4-1 victory at Old Trafford, with Nico Paz scoring twice and Anastasios Douvikas also finding the net. Cesc Fabregas's side took the lead inside two minutes when Paz curled in a stunning opener, leaving United immediately on the back foot.
The Sun's Samuel Luckhurst reported that Carrick had a 'relatively robust' confrontation with Cunha during an exchange that wasn't captured by television cameras. Cunha was withdrawn at half-time, with Amad introduced, while Carlos Baleba also came on at the beginning of the second half as United attempted to salvage the contest.
Fernandes Questions Tactics
Bruno Fernandes also questioned Carrick's tactical approach after the match, criticising the decision not to press man-to-man. He said: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence."
Fernandes added: "It's not the first time, we started on the wrong foot, and they scored very early. Not much pressure on the ball, not many good movements with the ball, not many things going our way. Conceding early makes us go into game with a mood of defeat, it's difficult to get out of that, trying to be brave, to have the ball and make something happen. If we are not able to do that, it is going to be very difficult to get out of this situation."
Carrick Responds to Criticism
Carrick responded to Fernandes and expressed concerns about his squad's commitment. He said: "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. 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."
Carrick added: "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."
The defeat follows last week's 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid, after which Lisandro Martinez criticised the shortage of reinforcements in the squad and the Old Trafford hierarchy. United's season, which had shown promise just two months in, is now under scrutiny as the team faces questions both on and off the field.
