Man Utd will welcome Bayern Munich at Old Trafford, in a vital Champions League match for coach Erik Ten Hag and his team…
In Group A after 5 matches, German football giant Bayern Munich is sure to qualify for the next round and top the group, with 13 points. The remaining ticket is the battle between Man Utd, Galatasaray and Copenhagen. Galatasaray and Copenhagen shared second and third place respectively with the same 5 points. Man Utd, 4 points, ranked second.
The “Red Devils” of Manchester can only pass the group stage if they win against Bayern Munich, and the remaining match ends inconclusively. At that time, Galatasaray and Copenhagen had 6 points and Man Utd rose to second place with 7 points. In any other case, Man Utd would be eliminated.
Man Utd fans are certainly extremely regretful because Ten Hag teachers and students “held the gold and let it fall” in the 5th match. As guests in Turkey, Ten Hag teachers and students led 3-1 until the minute 60 but in the end they came back to tie the game 3-3.
Labeled a criminal in Istanbul is goalkeeper Andre Onana. After the final whistle in Istanbul, the Cameroonian goalkeeper stood alone in the penalty area. Onana angrily threw her gloves on the grass and covered her face with her hands, looking extremely disappointed and embarrassed.
The Man Utd goalkeeper is not necessarily a disaster. During the past 5 matches in the Champions League group stage, Onana was a mixture of hero and villain. He has flexible ball distributions outside the penalty area and saves on the penalty spot at the last minute, but also often concedes goals in seemingly simple situations.
The Cameroon goalkeeper’s performance was as dramatic, unpredictable and confusing as what Man Utd showed. According to statistics, Man Utd has conceded 14 goals in the Champions League. Only Antwerp in Group H conceded more, with 15 goals in 5 matches.
During Galatasaray’s away trip, a match where Ten Hag and his team were not allowed to lose, goalkeeper Onana became the focus of criticism for his inexcusable mistakes.
In fact, both goalkeeper Onana and Man Utd got off to a good start. Man Utd’s opening goal was scored by Alejandro Garnacho and Onana contributed significantly. The Cameroonian goalkeeper initiated the ball movement on the right corridor by passing to Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Coach Ten Hag must be very proud because his student “played spectacular football” as he expected. But, after many experiences, perhaps most “Red Devils” fans feel their hearts pounding when Onana “plays” football.
The Dutch strategist described Man Utd’s performance on the offensive front with the words “transformation” and “courage”. All 3 goals of the “Red Devils” were impressive, stemming from quality attack arrangements.
However, Man Utd’s achievements were destroyed because of mistakes from the defense, a problem throughout this team from the beginning of the season, with Onana being the main character.
After losing 3-4 to Bayern Munich in the opening match, the Cameroonian goalkeeper was named as the reason why Man Utd had to concede goals so easily. Onana also took responsibility. “I let the whole team down. Because of me, we couldn’t win,” he said.
But when the Galatasaray draw came, Onana no longer had the courage to step up and take responsibility and the fans did not want to hear any more explanations. In the first goal, the Cameroonian goalkeeper misjudged the direction of the ball.
The second goal lost, it was difficult to understand what this 27-year-old goalkeeper was doing in the wooden goal. A silly mistake. By the third goal, Akturkoglu on Galatasaray’s side may have had a great shot, but Onana continued to choose the wrong position by standing in the wrong place to close the near corner, where the ball was headed.
Another “terrifying” situation took place when Man Utd was leading 1-0, Onana passed the ball right into the opponent’s feet. The consequences have not yet come, but they are enough to make this goalkeeper humiliated.
“We had to concede really bad goals,” captain Bruno Fernandes shared about the team’s performance. “Everyone must raise awareness and take responsibility for their own negligence.”
In the first leg between the two teams at Old Trafford, Onana also failed a pass and left serious consequences. It was Casemiro’s red card and a penalty. As a result, Man Utd lost 2-3. It seemed that Onana overcame the pressure in Man Utd’s 1-0 victory over Copenhagen at home.
The Cameroonian goalkeeper was a hero with his save of Jordan Larsson’s penalty kick in the final moments of the match. “I just do my job, calmly, without pressure and try my best,” Onana’s tone was completely different from the repentance before Bayern Munich.
According to statistics from Opta, Onana has made 7 errors leading to goals in the Champions League, since the 2018-19 season until now. No one makes more serious mistakes than the Cameroonian goalkeeper. The number of mistakes made by the person ranked second on the list is only half.
Goalkeeper Onana’s mistakes cost Man Utd dearly. However, at Old Trafford, everyone around the Cameroon goalkeeper is more or less the same.