Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has come out in support of manager Michael Carrick but reiterated that the players did not need to save his job in their 3-2 comeback win against Roma.
United and Carrick looked dead and buried inside the first 18 minutes as the Italian side took a two-goal lead in the early exchanges.
That sparked boos and protests from fans who threw tennis balls onto the pitch, but the Red Devils turned things around as a Fernandes penalty and a late Matheus Cunha brace gave them their first win in 54 days.
The spirit shown in the performance suggested at least some on-field support for Carrick, whose tenure appears to have been hanging by a thread since 3-0 loss to Bournemouth.
Fernandes was named on the bench for that game afterwards publicly questioning the tactics in a 4-1 defeat by Como four days ago. His words after Rome, however, were far more defiant than accusatory.
“We don’t need to save anyone’s job,” Fernandes said Amazon Prime after the match.
“We have worked so hard to get out of this situation completely. It has been difficult. There has been a lot of speculation in the media, a lot of lies about a lot of things that have happened at this club. Between me and the manager, we had to clear the air. Nothing like that happened.
“The manager took a decision to put me on the bench because I wasn’t performing at that level. Everyone thought it was a punishment for the words I had. If it was, it was right.
“The manager is the one who makes the decisions. I have to accept them, I have to move forward with it. It doesn’t change the faith I have in the manager, the staff and every player that is at this club. It doesn’t change my goal to win every game in front of me. It has to be (a turning point).
Carrick himself similarly dismissed suggestions the turnaround could have helped his cause, saying “it’s a win for us as a football club” when asked how the result might change the narrative.
“We’ve shown a lot of character as a group to cope with what we’ve had to do. You learn a lot about each other, the players will learn things about me. I certainly do for them and their character and what it means to them and what they’re prepared to put up with.”
The win, and the nature of it, looks very reminiscent of a 2018 3-2 win over Newcastle during Jose Mourinho’s time at the club. Two early goals stunned the home side, who were already under immense pressure for their poor start to the season.
In the second part, an answer. A player who is said to have had his issues with Mourinho, Anthony Martial, found the net on the way to a comeback which was secured by an underperforming South American in Alexis Sanchez.
Carrick played the role of Mourinho on Tuesday evening. Martial’s role you could argue was played by Fernandes, regardless of how he thinks his post-Como comments were perceived. And Sanchez’s role was enhanced by Cunha’s heroics.
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Michael Dawson reflects on Manchester United’s comeback victory over Roma
Did it save Mourinho his job? Ultimately, it didn’t happen. He was fired in December of that year, but perhaps that gave him a little more time at the helm.
In the 10 games before Newcastle’s victory, Mourinho’s United had won just three times. In 13 behinds, they got five, plus draws against Chelsea and Arsenal that weren’t to be scoffed at. The point was that expectations at United were higher in 2018 and this comeback wasn’t cutting it.
In reality, if Carrick manages a run of five wins, four draws and four defeats over the next 13 games, he will probably not be shown the door and given more time to build the project. Especially if there is some disagreement from higher ups about who should be the man to replace him if they go that route.
Sunday, November 8, 4:25 p.m
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There is just one variable that will make or break things for Carrick. Can he turn back to back? If his United side can beat Aston Villa on Sunday, it could be the statement the former midfielder needs to earn more time.
Unai Emery is widely regarded as the best manager in the Premier League. If Carrick is sacked, many United fans would be praying to see him in the hot seat. But with spirit and belief in the dressing room higher than it has been in two months after Tuesday’s spectacular comeback, Carrick has a chance to leapfrog Emery and make one last impression on his bosses before the international break.
It won’t be until Sunday night, when the final whistle blows at Old Trafford, that we’ll really know whether or not Carrick’s men saved their jobs, fittingly, under Fergie.
‘An important win for us’ – Carrick ‘proud’ of players after CL return
Carrick refused to get carried away with his side’s comeback win.
“Proud of a lot of people actually, proud of the players, and they deserve a lot of credit for getting him through a tough situation,” he said in his post-match press conference.
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Michael Dawson went through all the emotions during Bruno Fernandes’ missed penalty, which was then answered back.
“And for the supporters to be there, they were desperate for us to give them something they could get their teeth into.
“It is very important that the players know what this country can do.
“I’m not too upset about things, but it’s an important night.”
Rooney: Carrick deserves credit for inspirational comeback
Wayne Rooney said Carrick “deserves a lot of credit” for sparking the second-half comeback.
“Michael Carrick deserves a lot of credit too, because if you were in his shoes, you’re thinking, ‘how can I change this?’
“Whatever he said to the team at half-time got them on the front foot and gave them the belief that they could win the game.
“You felt it, you could feel that they could win the game, everyone was together.”
Carra: Man Utd need a legendary figure, someone special
Jamie Carragher speaking on CBS Sports:
“It’s an absolute giant of a club, not just in English football but in world football – and nobody seems to be able to do it right.
“Whether it’s the pressure, the expectation, the style of football, I don’t know what it is because no other club is like it.
“Bayern Munich will have many managers who have been successful, so will Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool. No one else has this problem but Manchester United.
“And it’s not just a problem now. It’s no coincidence that before Ferguson it was a struggle, and once he left that club it continued to be a real struggle.
“It can’t be that one manager takes them back to the top; you almost think this manager would have to be a legendary figure, not just a football guy. A figure, a force of personality.
“I don’t think Manchester United will just get a manager and it will work. It almost feels like this manager has to be special – and you have to be special to manage the size and stature of Manchester United as a club.”
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