Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. Image source: Amazon Prime
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes denied the club’s breath-taking UEFA Champions League comeback against Roma saved Michael Carrick his job, while addressing his relationship with the under-fire head coach.
United overturned a 2-0 half-time deficit as the beleaguered Premier League giants rallied to prevail 3-2 thanks to Matheus Cunha’s 86th-minute winner at Old Trafford on Wednesday (AEDT), snapping a nine-game winless streak.
Carrick’s United conceded twice inside 17 minutes in a nightmare start in Manchester, where Fernandes’ retaken penalty sparked the club’s stunning second-half turnaround.
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Cunha scored twice in three minutes to complete the comeback before he was sent off in stoppage time.
After the match, United skipper Fernandes delivered a candid interview after he was recently dropped by Carrick following comments made following the Red Devils’ 4-1 Champions League humiliation at the hands of Como last month.
‘YOU ARE KIDDING ME’: Manchester United produce unbelievable Champions League comeback against Roma
“We don’t need to save anyone’s job,” the Portuguese star told Amazon Prime.
Fernandes continued: “The club needed that win, the players needed that win. We have been working so hard to get out of this situation all together.
“It’s been tough, there’s been a lot of speculation in the media. A lot of lies around many things that have happened between me and the manager, that we have cleared the air, then after that the manager took the decision to put me on the bench because I’m not performing.
“Everyone thought that was a punishment for the words that I had. If it was, it was right. The manager is the one who makes the decisions.
“It doesn’t change the belief I have of the manager and the staff and every player in this club. It doesn’t change my aim to win every f*****g game that I have ahead of me.”
What happened between Bruno Fernandes and Michael Carrick?
Fernandes called out Carrick following the club’s 4-1 rout against Cesc Fabregas’ Como, claiming the Red Devils were not brave enough.
The United playmaker – who was substituted in the defeat – was scathing in his assessment of the team’s matchday three performance in Italy, telling TNT Sports: “It’s not the first time, we started on the wrong foot, and they scored very early.
“Not much pressure on the ball, not many good movements with the ball, not many things going our way.
“Conceding early makes us go into game with a mood of defeat, it’s difficult to get out of that, trying to be brave, to have the ball and make something happen.
“If we are not able to do that, it is going to be very difficult to get out of this situation.’
On United not engaging in a high-pressing style, Portuguese star Fernandes added: “It’s a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence.”
Asked directly whether he felt Carrick got his tactics wrong against Como, Fernandes replied: “That’s on the manager and staff to see, not me.
“Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.”
Amid mounting pressure, Carrick was asked about Fernandes’ comments following Lisandro Martinez’s recent criticism of United’s hierarchy.
“Actually, we half pressed man-to-man in the second half and ended up conceding a goal from that,” said Carrick.
“There’s a little bit of whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don’t run, and you don’t run forward, and you don’t run back, you aren’t going to win.”
Put to him if he felt United players were still playing for him in wake of Fernandes’ post-game interview, Carrick answered: “It shouldn’t be me. It shouldn’t be me. It’s not about playing for me, it’s about playing for this football club. It’s the responsibility that comes with it.
“I’m in the position, I’m responsible for the football club and the supporters. I’m giving my best, my absolute best, all the time. I care about it. My whole life’s wrapped around it. Listen, it might go well, it might not go so well. But I genuinely give everything that I possibly can. It’s not about me, in the relationship. It’s about what we all give – players, staff – for this football club.”
After the Como loss, Fernandes was demoted to the bench as United loss 3-0 to Bournemouth in the Premier League later that week.
Carrick maintained the decision was based on footballing reasons rather than disciplinary action, with Fernandes later returning to the starting XI against Chelsea, who were 2-0 victors last week.
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