MK Dons. Istanbul Basaksehir. The 7-0. Grimsby. There have been countless grim encounters in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United, yet the trip to Como might well take the biscuit.
Up against a side who were operating in Italy’s third tier just five years ago, it was the visitors who were left looking like lower-league opposition, having been outfought and outthought by Cesc Fabregas’ men.
Michael Carrick, having overseen just two wins from ten heading into this Champions League clash, was already a man under pressure, but that felt like the type of performance which might cost the Englishman his job.
How Man Utd unravelled in dismal Como defeat
There was a semblance of a plan in the draw away at Elland Road at the weekend, yet that all went out the window on Wednesday evening. In fact, it went out the window inside two minutes in Como.
Diogo Dalot, a man who’d previously missed a sitter in Erik ten Hag’s final game in charge, notably spurned a glorious early opening, having been made to pay almost immediately as the lively Nico Paz curled home to make it 1-0.
Half-time changes brought little improvement as Paz then found Anastasios Douvikas to make it 2-0 just after the break, before the majestic Argentine added his second of the night with another delightful finish on the hour mark.
United, left with a depleted defence amid a string of injury woes, were all at sea in the end as Jacobo Ramon peeled off Harry Maguire to add further salt in the wounds, with a late consolation from substitute Joshua Zirkzee doing little to quell the unrest among the away support.
Left short-changed defensively by the likes of Jason Wilcox this summer, Carrick can’t exactly blame anyone else for his baffling tactical set-up, however, with the Red Devils devoid of any sort of attacking thrust.
Captain Bruno Fernandes was central to those woes through the middle, with it surely not wrong to suggest that the Portuguese has simply downed tools.
How Bruno Fernandes has become a key issue for Carrick
The wins against Ipswich Town and Sabah aside, it’s been an abject start to the season for Fernandes, with last year’s PFA Player of the Year having gone AWOL for much of the campaign to date.
Whether he is suffering a post-tournament hangover or not – as he was two years ago prior to Ten Hag’s dismissal – the 32-year-old just hasn’t been at the races, a far cry from his talismanic form earlier this year.
Let’s face it, this false nine role just doesn’t suit the skipper, yet even so, his lack of impact in recent games has been stark, having racked up just 53 touches on Wednesday night.
He did supply two key passes, yet lost the ball 15 times and won just a solitary duel, with his frustration clearly evident as the Como backline merely played around him.
Out of contract this summer, the one-time Al Hilal target looks like a player who doesn’t want to be there right now, a bad look considering his status as captain.
Perhaps, like Lisandro Martinez, he’s one of those in the squad to have been left disillusioned by the lack of investment over the summer, with fingers needing to be pointed at Wilcox and co too.
Wilcox’s worst signing belongs in the Ten Hag era
Barring something drastic, it looks like Carrick may well be the third mid-season managerial change in a row for this INEOS regime, a sign that all is not well or aligned at boardroom level.
Heads need to roll, and Wilcox must surely be among them, the former Manchester City asset the man responsible for what has proven to be an abject summer of business.
Failing to sign a new left-back or striker has blown up in United’s face amid the loss of Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko to injury, while even those who were brought in look way short of the level.
|
Man Utd Player Ratings |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Rating |
|
GK – Lammens |
5/10 |
|
RB – Dalot |
3/10 |
|
CB – De Ligt |
2/10 |
|
CB – Maguire |
3/10 |
|
LB – Mazraoui |
3/10 |
|
DM – Santos |
2/10 |
|
DM – Mount |
4/10 |
|
RM – Mbeumo |
4/10 |
|
AM – Tielemans |
3/10 |
|
LM – Cunha |
3/10 |
|
CF – Fernandes |
3/10 |
There have been some wretched signings made across Wilcox’s time, be it Sofyan Amrabat or Manuel Ugarte, but Andrey Santos may well be the worst, with Wednesday further evidence of that.
Splashing out over £50m on a player who’d made just, checks notes, 13 Premier League starts for Chelsea felt bizarre at the time, and it has proven as much since then.
Like Ugarte or Amrabat, he’s the type of midfielder that may well have belonged in the Ten Hag era, a desperately limited option who just isn’t at the elite level.
While there had been signs of life in pre-season, the Brazilian quickly fell away after a dour debut against Hull City, with it still difficult to see what he offers to this United side.
He’s neither astute in possession nor particularly effective at screening the back four, having been hooked at the break this time around after picking up a needless yellow card in the first half.
It was a desperate, headless sliding tackle on the advancing Paz, with Santos so often left chasing his tail up against Como’s lively midfield unit.
Yes, he might have recorded a 96% pass accuracy rate, but it was all safe and steady, epitomising the lethargy of United’s performance in general.
The 22-year-old didn’t provide a single key pass in that 45-minute spell, having also made just one interception and one recovery, with even an ageing Casemiro likely to have offered far more to this team.
In essence, he’s merely a second-coming of Amrabat and Ugarte, two men who were much-maligned under Ten Hag’s watch, and with the latter also signed during Wilcox’s time in charge.
Considering the fee paid for Santos, and the lack of rationale behind the deal in the first place, this may well be the worst of the bunch.
So much for ‘sorting the midfield’ this summer, ay.
