Carragher calls Fernandes’s attack on Carrick “a disgrace”; Merson says a sacking would change nothing

Jamie Carragher has called Bruno Fernandes’s public criticism of Michael Carrick a disgrace, while Paul Merson argues that sacking the manager would change nothing. Between them they frame the question Manchester United face after the 4-1 defeat at Como: is the problem the dressing room, or the man in charge of it?

What triggered it

United lost 4-1 in Italy on Wednesday night, extending their winless run to seven games in all competitions, according to Sky Sports. Afterwards Fernandes told TNT Sports that not pressing man-to-man was a decision by the staff, and that it was for the manager and staff to explain it. Carrick, in his press conference, said he was angry and questioned his players’ running.

Carragher: the captain crossed a line

Speaking on CBS Sports, as reported by Sky Sports and Goal, Carragher said it was a “disgrace” for Fernandes to question the tactics in public. He also described the club as “rotten from top to bottom”.

His position has two parts. The first is about conduct: a captain should not undermine his manager through a television interview. Sky reports that Carragher acknowledged Fernandes was the club’s Player of the Year last season, which makes the criticism more pointed rather than less. Goal adds that he drew a comparison with Lisandro Martinez, who apologised after criticising the club’s hierarchy following the Atletico Madrid defeat.

The second part is that none of this saves Carrick. Both outlets report Carragher saying the manager’s position now looks untenable, and Goal says he believes United need a change. He is criticising the player and the manager in the same breath, which is consistent with how he has treated Carrick’s side before; see our piece on his reaction to the Leeds draw.

Merson: change would not fix it

Sky’s report says Paul Merson took the opposite view of the manager’s future, arguing that Carrick should stay because changing managers would not change anything. We have only Sky’s summary of that argument, so we have not quoted him directly.

Merson’s case rests on the idea that the problems are structural. It is a similar diagnosis to the one Carragher reaches with his “rotten” line, but the conclusion differs. If the club is the issue, Carragher still wants the manager to carry the consequences. Merson sees a sacking as a distraction from the real cause.

Where the argument really sits

The two positions are less opposed than they look. Both men think the club is in a poor state. They disagree on whether removing Carrick would start to fix it. Roy Keane and Gary Neville have already had a version of that argument, as we covered in Keane against Neville on Carrick.

The facts that decide it are still to come. Goal reports that a poor result against Bournemouth on Sunday could prompt a change, and Carrick said after the game that he had not thought about his own position. Until the club says something, the debate rests on opinion, and the reports of the club’s thinking from some outlets should be read as interpretation rather than confirmed news.

For now, the sharpest line in the debate is Carragher’s distinction between the right to criticise and the manner of doing it. Fernandes may have a point about the pressing. Whether he was entitled to make it on television is the part Carragher will not accept.