Every year it feels as though Manchester United go through a rough period on the field, which results in a manager being handed his marching orders at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick is once again becoming a man under pressure in Manchester, with the 45-year-old failing to win any of his last seven games across all competitions.
Wednesday night’s defeat in the Champions League was yet another low point for the Red Devils, as they looked way off the pace against a largely inexperienced outfit.
How Man Utd’s defeat to Como played out
United fans would have been confident about securing a needed win in the Champions League last night, but their hopes would be extinguished just minutes into proceedings.
Como star Nico Paz was fortunate to pick up the ball on the edge of the area, before cutting onto his left foot to fire a powerful effort past the helpless Senne Lammens.
The Red Devils were unable to get themselves level before the break, and it would be costly as Cesc Fabregas’ men extended their lead just a few minutes after the interval.
Paz was involved once again, as he slipped a beautifully weighted ball through to Anastasios Douvikas, who finished expertly in the 49th minute of proceedings.
The Argentine’s second goal of the game would come just eight minutes later, handing the Italian side a three-goal lead and ending any hopes of a comeback for the Red Devils.
Jacobo Ramon added a fourth with a lovely header, before Joshua Zirkzee netted in stoppage time, but such an effort was merely a consolation – as Carrick’s men suffered a 4-1 defeat last night.
How Mazraoui failed to deliver against Como
Due to the ongoing issues within the backline, full-back Noussair Mazraoui was handed his fourth start of the season, but the former Bayern Munich man was unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
The Moroccan international featured for the entirety of the contest on Lake Como, but his stats from the display showcase how disappointing he was throughout the defeat.
He subsequently lost 88% of the ground duels he contested, which resulted in the 28-year-old defender being dribbled past on four separate occasions.
His inability to regain possession for the Red Devils was further evident in his tally of zero tackles won, which often saw the likes of Martin Baturina starring during the encounter.
Noussair Mazraoui – stats against Como | |
|---|---|
Statistics | Tally |
Minutes played | 90 |
Touches | 83 |
Pass accuracy | 94% |
Chances created | 0 |
Dribbles completed | 0 |
Ground duels lost | 88% |
Dribbled past | 4x |
Tackles won | 0 |
Long ball accuracy | 50% |
Even with the ball at his feet, Mazraoui was just as ineffective, subsequently failing to complete any of the dribbles he attempted, whilst failing to make a single line-breaking pass.
Man Utd star was as bad as Mazraoui vs Como
It’s safe to say the vast majority of United players failed to deliver the goods against Como, which undoubtedly contributed to the latest embarrassing defeat in the Champions League.
The likes of Andrey Santos and Matheus Cunha were replaced at the interval by Carrick, with the manager seemingly thinking they were behind the struggles in the first half.
However, he decided to keep full-back Diogo Dalot on the pitch for the entirety of the match, but such a call undoubtedly proved to be the wrong one given his struggles.
The Portuguese international has become a man under fire throughout the 2026/27 campaign, and rightfully so given his woeful displays over the last couple of weeks.
His showing against Como was no different, with the 27-year-old unable to provide a positive impact at either end of the pitch for Carrick’s side during the defeat.
Dalot could only achieve a 56% ground duel success rate last night, which resulted in the Portuguese star being dribbled past in two separate occasions.
His struggles to contain the Italian outfit were further evident in his tally of two fouls committed, whilst only being able to be successful with one of his tackle attempts.
Even with the ball at his feet, the full-back was just as ineffective, subsequently completing just 33% of the crosses he attempted, whilst making just three passes into the final third.
Dalot even lost possession 15 times within his 72-touch performance, which saw him give the ball back to the hosts every four times he touched the ball.
After such a showing, the defender was handed a measly 3/10 match rating, with Carrick desperately needing to drop him from his starting eleven this weekend.
He and Mazraoui produced abysmal performances in Italy on Wednesday evening, and the manager must make the brutal call to drop them if he wants to save his job at Old Trafford.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
