Manchester United have endured yet another tumultuous seven days, with events both on and off the pitch adding to mounting pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
This story was first reported by Sky Sports.
The Red Devils suffered a humbling defeat in Como, and according to Sky Sports, goalkeeper Senne Lammels has moved to defend the unity within the squad despite the challenging circumstances surrounding the club.
Beyond the disappointing result itself, the week has been marked by senior players speaking publicly in ways that have intensified scrutiny of the coaching staff. Captain Bruno Fernandes offered a post-match assessment that questioned tactical decisions, following Lisandro Martinez's earlier interview that had cast doubt on the club's broader ambition and direction.
Carrick responded with an emotional five-minute address during his pre-match press conference on Friday, delivering messages that appeared aimed squarely at his players. The speech emphasised humility and humbleness—qualities the manager seemingly felt were lacking within the Carrington training ground.
When asked directly whether the changing room remained united, Lammels offered an unequivocal response.
For me personally, I think it is. I think it's easy to see maybe after a game when players are very frustrated, and I get it, I'm very frustrated as well because we all really want to do better and we all want to win and then we might say sometimes things we don't really mean or fully explain what we mean.
The goalkeeper acknowledged that public perception differs from private reality.
Of course, the people at home can't see that, so we need to also try to look like that when we are on the pitch in the weekend, but I can assure you that we're doing everything we can and we're all together behind the coach, as a staff, players, front office.
Lammels stressed collective responsibility for improvement.
Everyone knows, of course, they have to do better, but I think we are united and we are trying to get better as a team and together.
Early concessions proving costly
One of the most glaring issues plaguing United this season has been their inability to start matches competitively. Against Como, they conceded within the opening moments—a pattern that has become disturbingly familiar.
According to The Athletic, Nico Paz scored twice in Como's 4-1 victory, with substitute Joshua Zirkzee grabbing a late consolation for United. The defeat extended their winless run, and France 24 reported that United were now without a win in seven matches across all competitions.
The problem is not isolated to this fixture. United conceded after 60 seconds against Atletico Madrid the previous week and also started poorly against Fulham and Tottenham either side of the international break. The quality of opposition varies, but one statistic stands out starkly: United have managed just one clean sheet all season, that coming against Sabah on 10 September in the Champions League.
Lammels acknowledged the severity of the issue.
It's difficult. We have to learn from that as well fast, because you can try to come up with plans and tactics, but if you get a goal against in the first or second minute, it kind of screws up a little bit your game plan and you're kind of chasing the game from then on.
That's probably one of the biggest things we need to work on right now is to keep ourselves in the game and to try and get that first goal ourselves, instead of being 1-0 down straight away.
The goalkeeper pushed back against suggestions that the solution was straightforward.
I get people thinking it's an easy fix, or like, why don't you just try harder or something like that? Trust me, we are trying harder every day and trying to come up with a solution, but sometimes when it's not going your way, everything falls into place for the other team.
He remained hopeful that a single strong performance could shift momentum.
You only need one performance to turn it around, and I think that's what we're trying to aim for and what we're working really hard on right now.
Narratives and tactical questions
Lammels acknowledged the weight of external scrutiny.
As you mentioned, it's very easy to have narratives or stories and headlines and something that's been targeted at the team as well.
The narratives surrounding Carrick's side have multiplied throughout the season, and after the Como loss, many have become difficult to dismiss. United are experiencing their worst run of form since 2014-15, a statistic that underscores the severity of their current predicament.
Carrick has defended his players despite inconsistent performances, but he offered no excuses following the Como defeat. He admitted his side lacked aggression, intensity and running—three elements that were conspicuously present during his first five months in charge last season, when United produced impressive victories against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.
While Carrick and his coaching staff have clearly attempted to evolve their tactical approach this campaign, confusion persists about why the team has appeared second best in most matches from a tactical perspective. What has fundamentally changed?
Lammels offered his perspective on the tactical evolution.
Last season I felt like, playing-wise, maybe we played sometimes better this season, but last season everything just clicked and went the right way for us. We struggled as a team together when they pressed us, but we didn't concede that many goals, and then I think as a counter team a bit more last season we did really well, but you also know, I think everybody knew that we had to improve as well from that, that teams were going to change the way they played against us.
So that's why we had to evolve this season and in preseason, we tried to do some different things to get us in the best position to win games.
The goalkeeper identified a specific area requiring attention.
I think we need a little bit more like last season, the way we fought together, even when it wasn't going the best and just trying to fight as a team and defend as a team, I think that's probably something we need to try to get back to.
Finding the balance
Lammels demonstrated considerable openness in articulating the changing room's perspective—a rarity for players in United's current predicament. His willingness to engage substantively on these issues suggests an emerging leadership voice within the squad.
When pressed on where the fighting spirit evident last season had disappeared to, Lammels resisted oversimplification.
I get it, I see people talking about numbers and maybe stats and data, I'm not sure about that, because every game is a little bit different. I think, like I said, with the ball we try to do a bit of different things, try to improve, because last season we weren't always the best with the ball. I think we have improved in those sort of things, but maybe the mindset of having the ball and trying to play around has that mindset of when you don't have the ball and try to fight for it the way we did last season.
We need to get a bit of both. It is a fine line, to be honest, that aggressiveness. When you don't have the ball and when you have the ball, you want that calmness, that being able to play from the back and being able to play through the press. I think it's just finding that fine line in ourselves.
The goalkeeper's analysis points to a fundamental challenge: balancing the controlled, possession-based football Carrick has attempted to implement this season with the aggressive, combative approach that characterised their successful run last season.
It has been a difficult period for everyone connected with United. Senior players have added pressure through their public statements, yet Lammels' candid discussion offered a glimmer of hope. His emergence as a vocal leader willing to articulate the squad's perspective and acknowledge both shortcomings and commitment suggests the dressing room possesses the self-awareness necessary for recovery.
What comes next
Manchester United face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday, 25 October, with kick-off at 2pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event from 12.30pm. The fixture offers an immediate opportunity to demonstrate the response Carrick and his players have been discussing.
Following that encounter, United are scheduled to travel to Chelsea on 31 October, another fixture that will test their resolve during this critical period of the season.
