Fernandes blames United's passive tactics after Como inflict humiliating 4-1 defeat

Bruno Fernandes has publicly questioned Manchester United’s tactical approach after they were beaten 4-1 by Como at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on Wednesday, in one of the club’s most embarrassing European results in recent memory.

United conceded within two minutes and never recovered, with Como growing in confidence throughout to claim a comfortable victory. Manager Michael Carrick apologised to the travelling supporters at full time — a moment that drew comparisons to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final game in charge, a 4-1 defeat at Watford in November 2021, shortly before his dismissal.

Fernandes, who has been managing a knock over recent weeks, was substituted in the 66th minute. He shook his head as he left the pitch, and Carrick offered no acknowledgement as the captain walked past him on the touchline.

Speaking after the match, Fernandes was candid about what went wrong. “It’s not the first time, we started on the wrong foot, and they scored very early,” he said. “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 the game with a mood of defeat — it’s difficult to get out of that.”

The Portuguese midfielder identified United’s decision to sit off Como rather than press aggressively as a critical error. “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,” he said. “But sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence.”

When pressed directly on whether Carrick had got his tactics wrong, Fernandes stopped short of placing blame but left little doubt about his view. “That’s on the manager and staff to see, not me,” he said. “Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.”

Fernandes also highlighted how Como’s structure exposed United’s passivity. “As you saw with them, the centre-back was coming to mark me in my own half. We need to do that as a team but we were unable to. A team that plays through the middle with small connections — if you give them too much time and space then they can hurt you out wide.”

The result piles further pressure on Carrick, whose side have now shipped four goals in a Champions League fixture against a team that were playing in Serie B just two seasons ago.