Former England international Joe Cole is not having it over the manner Manchester United players criticise the club in the press.
Cole described Fernandes’ questioning of Carrick’s tactics as “sacrilege” after the United captain slammed the technical crew over a lack of pressing in their 4-1 defeat to Como in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
This comes on the heels of Lisandro Martinez slamming the United hierarchy over a lack of quality signings during the summer transfer window.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Cole blasted the United captain for throwing the technical crew under the bus after the scathing loss.
“[He’s] absolutely questioning the tactics,” former England midfielder Cole said. “It doesn’t matter whether he is right to. That’s sacrilege.
“I’ve played for managers where I don’t agree with the tactics. You might say that to your mate or your wife, but you don’t come out as captain of the club and question the manager.
“He doesn’t even do it properly. If you’re going to come out, be bold, and say it with your chest. He sort of says, ‘we could have been this, but then it’s up to the manager’. He probably thinks he’s clever, [like saying] ‘well, I didn’t really say it, gaffer’.
“You said what you said, you thought they got the tactics wrong. You can think that, that’s fine. You can go into the manager’s office tomorrow, and say, ‘I think you got it wrong, gaffer’. Have a man-to-man conversation.”
“To come out in front of the nation, when you’re captain of the football club, and question the manager is simply unacceptable.
“Bruno has really got that wrong. If you’re captain of Manchester United, you cannot come out and question the tactics. It would not have happened under Sir Alex Ferguson.”
Fernandes questioned Carrick’s tactics after the scandalous to Como:
“It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man.
“But sometimes when you give too much of the ball to these teams, they get confidence. They have so many bodies behind the ball that make you run a lot, make people frustrated.”
The Portuguese midfielder doubled down by putting the blame on the manager and staff.
“That’s on the manager and staff to see, not me. I just said that I think sometimes we have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable.”
It follows Martinez’s outburst in Madrid, during which he said that he expected more investment in the squad – and “more from our technical director”.
He has reflected on his criticism and tendered an apology.
“The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise.”
Cole believes Fernandes should take responsibility when results go awry and address matters privately.
“Bruno does a lot of hand waving when it doesn’t go right,” he said.
“Listen, I think he’s a brilliant footballer, one of the best midfielders in the country certainly, maybe even Europe. He’s outstanding.
“Tonight, I understand his frustrations, but that club needs stability. You need to dig in.
“When you’re in the trenches like tonight, it’s no good coming out in the press like Martinez the other day, digging everybody out. Have that conversation in-house.
“Get them all in a room: [technical director] Jason Wilcox, Michael [Carrick], fly the owner in too… and have it out there. All this nonsense in the press, pointing fingers at each other, it’s ridiculous.”
