Michael Carrick Under Fire at Manchester United as Como Test Looms
Manchester United's worst league start in 40 years has Michael Carrick fighting for his job ahead of a depleted Champions League trip to Cesc Fabregas's Como.
Michael Carrick is running out of road at Manchester United. The club sits 13th in the Premier League after the worst start to a league season in 40 years, and Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Como, managed by former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, arrives with United winless in six games and badly short of bodies.
Carrick took over as interim boss and dragged United back into Europe’s top competition with a third-place Premier League finish last season, earning the job on a full-time basis. Now, in his first full campaign in charge at Old Trafford, the optimism of that revival has curdled into drift. United have just two wins in nine games across all competitions this season, and only one victory in seven Premier League matches.
Martinez Lights the Fuse
The pressure spiked on October 13 in Madrid, where United lost 2-0 to Atletico in the Champions League. Afterward, defender Lisandro Martinez gave an unusually blunt assessment to Amazon Prime, calling the performance “really poor” and describing it as a “mirror of how our club is at the moment.” He said he “100%” expected more investment in the squad this summer and directed criticism at technical director Jason Wilcox, saying, “I expect more from our technical director, I have to be honest.”
Martinez stopped short of calling for Carrick’s head, though. “You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas?” he said. Club minority owner Jim Ratcliffe was in the stadium for the defeat. United spent roughly 140 million pounds on midfielders Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, but supporters were frustrated that the club did not strengthen at left-back or striker. Wayne Rooney said Martinez had “gone a bit too far” and that the comments should have stayed internal. Martinez later apologized for the criticism.
A Draw at Leeds and a “Fresh Start”
United’s response came on Sunday at Elland Road, where a 1-1 draw with Leeds did little to ease the heat. Bryan Mbeumo put the visitors ahead in the 35th minute, guiding home a low Tielemans delivery for his fourth Premier League goal of the season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin leveled in the 51st minute, and Leeds spent much of the second half on top while United leaned on counter-attacks. Martinez, who started, was replaced by Noussair Mazraoui at halftime.
Carrick called the point a “fresh start” and admitted the situation “doesn’t look great.” Asked about the support from above, he has maintained he does not need reassurance from the club’s hierarchy, a stance that sounds confident but only underlines how much scrutiny now surrounds the dugout.
Como Awaits as Injuries Pile Up
The next test is anything but gentle. Fabregas’s Como crushed RB Leipzig on Matchday 1, lost at Feyenoord last time out, and sit fifth in Serie A after a 3-1 win over Fiorentina. The Italian club is chasing a rare feat: becoming the first side to win its first two home games in the Champions League since Lazio in 1999-00. Fabregas has called the matchup a “dream come true” for the club, which he says is competing with Europe’s elite “five years ahead of schedule.”
United’s injury list is brutal. Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Benjamin Sesko and Patrick Dorgu are out, Leny Yoro is suspended, and Martinez and Ayden Heaven missed training. The one bright spot is the return of Matthijs de Ligt, who starts for the first time since November of last year. “It’s fantastic to have Matta back, he’s worked so hard for such a long period of time,” Carrick said. He added that Como are “a really good team” and that United want to “control the game” on the road. Anyone weighing the matchup can check the latest prices at the top sportsbooks, where Como have been slight favorites, and use an odds probability calculator to translate those prices into implied chances.
The travel history does not help. United have won just one of their previous 10 Champions League away matches, with the last victory a 2-0 win over Villarreal in November 2021. Kickoff is 12:45 p.m. ET from the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
What Comes Next for Carrick
Few managers survive a season-long slide at a club of United’s size, and the calendar offers little breathing room. Another poor night in Italy would deepen a winless run that has already stretched to six games and put the spotlight squarely back on Carrick, Wilcox and the ownership group. A result in Como, even a draw, would at least validate the “fresh start” talk. Anything less, and the questions about his future will only get louder.