‘1-4 crushing defeat’ Carrick manager, why would I resign? “Haven’t you seen the players not running?” Harsh criticism… “Similar to ‘Solskjaer’s dismissal’ five years ago”

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Michael Carrick (45), Manchester United manager, harshly criticized his team’s lack of movement following a heavy defeat in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League (UCL). He dodged giving an immediate answer regarding whether he would resign.

The UK’s ‘The Sun’ reported on the 22nd (Korean time), “Manager Carrick, who suffered a crushing defeat to Como 1907, drew a line in the sand regarding his future while lashing out at his players.”

Manchester United collapsed 1-4 away at Como in the third match of the UCL league phase for the 2026~2027 season, held on the 22nd at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in Como, Italy. After conceding the opening goal to Nico Paz just two minutes into the first half, they surrendered consecutive goals to Ante Budimir in the fourth minute of the second half, Paz in the 12th minute, and Guillem Ramos in the 31st minute. Manchester United managed only one consolation goal from Joshua Zirkzee in the 45th minute of the second half. This is Manchester United’s largest margin of defeat in European competition since a 0-4 loss to Barcelona in November 1994.

With this defeat, Manchester United has fallen into a slump of seven consecutive matches without a win (3 draws, 4 losses) in all competitions. It is also the club’s longest winless streak since December 2015, when Manager Carrick was playing as a player.

Manager Carrick, who has managed only two wins in 11 matches this season, is facing intense speculation about his dismissal. At the post-match press conference, he dismissed questions about the possibility of resignation by saying, “I have not been thinking about my position.” He continued, “We must play for the fans. I was watching from the bench and was not happy at all,” and criticized, “Anyone can be in a slump, but the way we played today is never right.”

After the match ended, Manager Carrick approached the empty away section and bowed his head to the fans. The media reported, “This scene brings to mind the final match of former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021.” At that time, after losing 1-4 to Watford, Solskjaer apologized to the away fans but received fierce boos and was dismissed the next day. Manager Carrick apologized, saying, “I deeply empathize with the disappointment the fans have experienced. The performance we showed today is unacceptable.”

Discord within the squad was also detected. Captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to harbor dissatisfaction with Manager Carrick’s man-marking tactics. When he was substituted off for Zirkzee in the 22nd minute of the second half, he headed to the bench without even exchanging a greeting with Manager Carrick.

However, Manager Carrick cited decreased running intensity rather than tactics as the cause of the defeat. He snapped, “No matter what system or tactics we use, if the players do not run on both offense and defense, we can never win.”

Meanwhile, Manchester United will play a home match against Bournemouth in the English Premier League (EPL) on the 25th. Since there are no matches scheduled for next week, adding weight to speculation about a managerial change, this match is expected to become a ‘guillotine match’ that will determine the fate of Manager Carrick, who has been pushed to the brink.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original