Manchester United vs Como: Defensive Crisis Leaves Carrick Short of Options

Manchester United head into their Champions League meeting with Como carrying the sort of baggage that tends to follow a team already under pressure. Results are poor, confidence looks fragile and, more urgently, Michael Carrick is running out of defenders.

The 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Sunday stretched United’s winless run to six matches. That alone would be enough to sharpen scrutiny around Carrick. Add in a growing injury list and a suspension, and this quickly becomes a team selection exercise with very little room for creativity.

The biggest concern is at the back. Leny Yoro is suspended after his red card in the 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, so he is unavailable. Lisandro Martinez then picked up a thigh problem against Leeds, after starting that game despite the noise surrounding his recent comments. He went off at half-time and is now a major doubt.

If Martinez cannot make it, Carrick is left with a very thin pool of senior centre-back options. Harry Maguire is the obvious constant. Alongside him, Matthijs de Ligt becomes the likely solution, even though he has gone close to a year without competitive football for United. It is far from ideal preparation for a European game away from home.

Noussair Mazraoui is expected to come in for Yoro, most likely as part of a reshaped back line, while Diogo Dalot should continue on the other side. It is functional, but hardly reassuring.

Injury List Piles Pressure on Carrick

The missing names do not end there. Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw and Ayden Heaven were all absent from the squad against Leeds. Marcus Rashford was named on the bench but never came on, and he also missed open training. Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte remain unavailable, while Tom Heaton was also absent.

That leaves Carrick potentially without as many as 10 senior players for matchday three. For a side already lacking rhythm, that matters.

Bruno Fernandes False Nine Call Under Review

United used Bruno Fernandes as a false nine against Leeds and, for one half, it worked reasonably well. The movement caused problems and gave the attack some unpredictability. After the break, there was much less threat and the idea lost momentum.

That points towards a more direct setup against Como. Matheus Cunha is pushing to start and looks the obvious candidate to freshen up the front line, possibly at the expense of Amad Diallo. If Carrick goes that way, Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha can provide the running, with Fernandes still central to everything in advanced areas.

Behind them, the midfield of Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos is expected to stay intact for a third straight match. It offers control and energy, which United badly need given the instability elsewhere.

Predicted Manchester United XI vs Como

Lammens; Mazraoui, Maguire, De Ligt, Dalot; Baleba, Tielemans, Santos; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha.

Kick-off is at 5.45pm BST on Wednesday, October 21 at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. For United, the equation is simple. They need a result, and they need a defence that can hold together long enough to get one.