Rio Ferdinand has criticised Manchester United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como with a post on X.
The former United centre-back also praised Cesc Fàbregas, whose side scored three times after the break. He watched Michael Carrick's men stumble to their fifth defeat in 11 games and they are now winless in their last seven outings.
The pressure is growing on Carrick ahead of Bournemouth's visit to Old Trafford on Sunday.
What Ferdinand said after Como’s win
Ferdinand felt Fàbregas’ team had made United look like “a team who had won a RAFFLE to be in the Champions league”. He added that at times Como looked as though they had 12 players on the pitch.
The former United captain also praised Fàbregas for how he built the team and how his ideas show in how Como plays.
Como took the lead through Nico Paz after two minutes. Anastasios Douvikas made it 2-0 four minutes into the second half, before Paz struck again in the 57th minute after intercepting a pass from substitute Carlos Baleba.
Jacobo Ramón headed in a fourth in the 76th minute, and Joshua Zirkzee scored a stoppage-time consolation for United.
In his assessment of United's defeat, Ferdinand raised four major concerns: "We were TOOTHLESS in attack. NO running power in the team. An INABILITY to press Como. NO patterns in possession."
How the Match Statistics Support Ferdinand’s Four Criticisms
The statistics support some of Ferdinand’s criticisms more clearly than others. Sports Illustrated reported that United managed three first-half shots, none on target. They finished with 13 shots, four on target, although Joshua Zirkzee’s late consolation improved their final numbers.
| Statistic | Como | Man United |
| Possession | 55% | 45% |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.04 | 1.05 |
| Total shots | 11 | 13 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 4 |
| Big chances | 4 | 1 |
| Pass accuracy | 89% | 87% |
United’s press was questionable, involving one or two players and never a group effort, while Como’s players hunted the ball in packs. Bruno Fernandes seemed to take issue with his coach's tactics for the game when speaking to reporters after the loss.
Absences and Tactical Changes Behind United’s Defeat
United were missing nine players through injury, suspension or illness. Matthijs de Ligt started his first match in 325 days after a serious back injury, and two youth players were on the bench after playing for the Under-19s earlier in the day.
Carrick replaced Matheus Cunha and Andrey Santos with Amad Diallo and Carlos Baleba at half-time. United switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Tielemans moving into central midfield, Bruno Fernandes dropping to No 10 and Bryan Mbeumo leading the line.
Como scored three times after the break, and United have taken three points from their first three league-phase games and are winless in seven matches across all competitions.
