Despite André Onana’s two mistakes that cost Manchester United the win in the 3-3 draw against Galatasaray, Erik ten Hag expressed his displeasure with the amount of goals his team has given up in the Champions League this season.
United is currently bottom of Group A with little chance of making it to the round of sixteen after giving up 14 goals in five games. On a night of animosity in Turkey, United’s goals came from Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, and Scott McTominay, but they could only manage a draw after Onana mishandled two Hakim Ziyech free kicks, giving Galatasaray a chance to retake the lead before Kerem Akturkoglu’s fierce equalizer.
Ten Hag said of Onana, “He is OK.” It’s not about a specific person. In football, individual mistakes can have an impact and you are accountable for them, but the team is always the priority.We each scored shortly after the other. It concerns the moment when you lead 2-0 and need to control the game. Giving away free kicks makes it difficult, and we need to improve our free-kick defense. I have no doubt that Hakim is extraordinary and brilliant.
We can always improve because it’s always about the incidents and the details. We must take lessons from it because, as a team, we are giving up far too many goals, which is needless and preventable.
United was the superior team on a hectic night with challenging circumstances; they had 17 shots, but only four of them were on goal. This season, they have scored three goals on the road in a European match for the third time, but they have only managed to pick up one point from the experience.
“We concede really bad goals,” stated Fernandes. We had far too many opportunities to score another goal and end the game. We had too many chances. We are also not sufficiently clinical.
“We are in charge of our games. This is not the first game of its kind that we have. Even Copenhagen, where we ended up with a 3-2 victory, requires better game management and intelligence. Everyone needs to own up to their mistakes and accept responsibility.
In Group A, United anxiously awaited news on whether a Copenhagen victory away against Bayern Munich would send them out of the competition. Despite the fact that the match ended in a 0-0 draw, United can still advance to the round of sixteen if they win at home against Bayern in the final group match on December 12 and draw at home against Galatasaray in Copenhagen.