Carrick and Wilcox face scrutiny after Manchester United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como
Bruno Fernandes joined Lisandro Martínez in public criticism of Manchester United after the club’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como on Wednesday, and Michael Carrick found himself under scrutiny alongside Jason Wilcox.
The result renewed questions about long-running issues at Old Trafford, with commentators pointing to a pattern of repeated crises going back years; the article referenced an 11 August 2022 piece titled “Reds rinse and repeat: will we ever break the Manchester United crisis cycle?”. Social media reaction included @19thCenturyArmoir writing “mate i’m a hundred and sixty years old, of course my legs have gone.” and @CoffinFridge69 posting “#BeKind Ronay, appliances have feelings too.”
Complaints on the pitch by Fernandes were described as spilling off it, following Martínez’s earlier public intervention after a match in Madrid, and the coverage suggested those incidents have increased pressure on club figures behind the scenes. The Guardian piece argued the club’s problems extend beyond the defensive partnership of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt that featured on Wednesday.
At his post-match press conference Carrick pushed back against criticism, saying: “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 aren’t going to win.” Reporters at the session were portrayed as pressing Carrick hard while he sought to defend the players’ work-rate.
Ownership and executive decisions were also singled out in the piece. It referenced a minority owner who is said to have claimed the UK is being “colonised by immigrants”, noted Jim Ratcliffe’s involvement via Ineos, and recorded the claim that the Glazers have “extracted about £1bn out of the club since the takeover in 2005.” The article also stated that United have spent “£1bn spent by United to create this squad over the past five years.”
The column considered possible paths to change, mentioning figures such as Daniel Farke and Frank Lampard as managers who could yet enhance their reputations, and referencing debate about high-profile appointments including Antonio Conte and Eddie Howe. The writer quoted Paul Watson on the Guardian Football Weekly saying Conte “might resign during his unveiling.”
Questions were raised about personnel and recruitment choices, with the piece asking whether any current United player can be judged as clearly good and posing the hypothetical of Joshua Zirkzee registering “25 goal involvements for Real Sociedad next season.” It also included an anecdote suggesting Jason Wilcox had not previously been shouted at in similar fashion since Mike Newell at Ewood Park in 1991.
The column closed by pointing to pending processes off the pitch: what will Omar Berrada’s CV look like after the independent panel delivers its punishments?