Manchester United were beaten 4-1 by Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Wednesday, conceding goals to Nicolás Paz, Anastasios Douvikas and Jacobo Ramón. Joshua Zirkzee scored for the visitors late on, but the consolation did little to ease the disappointment for the travelling supporters.
Carrick went over to acknowledge the fans after the final whistle and began his post-match press conference with an apology. He said the team had failed to deliver the intensity and aggression he had expected after their draw at Leeds.
“First of all, I have to apologise to the supporters. I went over at the end. I care about this football club as much as anyone, if not more,” Carrick said. “For us to play in that way, it’s not acceptable. It wasn’t a good performance at all.”
The manager was particularly frustrated by the contrast with the previous match, when he had hoped United were beginning to build momentum.
“That bit of intensity, that aggression, that real willingness to give everything tonight was totally the opposite of the performance,” he said. “I have to say it was tough to watch.”
Carrick insisted the problem extended beyond the goals conceded, pointing to the manner in which his team approached the game. He said he found it difficult to understand how the players could produce such a different display from the one he had seen at Leeds.
“There’s a lot coming from my mind, watching that,” he said. “Genuinely, it’s difficult to understand how it can be so different. It shouldn’t be like that, we can all play well, we can all have poor performances, but to do it in that manner is really not right at all.”
Asked about captain Bruno Fernandes questioning the decision not to press Como man-to-man, Carrick argued that the system was not the decisive issue.
“We actually half pressed man-to-man in the second half and then conceded a goal from that,” he said. “Whatever tactics you play, whatever system you play, if you don’t run, you don’t run forward, you don’t run back, you aren’t going to win.”
Carrick was asked whether the players had let him down and whether they were still playing for him. He rejected the idea that the issue should be framed around personal loyalty, instead stressing the responsibility everyone at the club carried.
“It shouldn’t be me, it’s not about playing for me, it’s about playing for this football club,” he said. “It’s the responsibility that comes with.”
The manager also admitted he was angry, although he said his attention had already turned to preparing the team for their next fixture.
“I’m okay, I’m bitterly disappointed, I’m frustrated, more than frustrated, I’m really angry to be honest, but you’ve got to move on to what’s next,” Carrick said.
United host Bournemouth on Sunday, with Carrick insisting his own position was not his immediate concern. His priority, he said, was restoring the standards expected at Manchester United and giving the supporters a performance they could accept.