Turkey coach Erik ten Hag took responsibility and defended goalkeeper Andre Onana after Man Utd drew 3-3 with Galatasaray, leaving them bottom of Group A of the Champions League.
"It's always me who has to take the blame when Man Utd don't have good results," Ten Hag said after the game. "I take responsibility for that, but I also know that we are in a project. The team is moving forward, improving and that's very hopeful. I know where we have to go and what steps we have to take, and I'm sure Man Utd will be successful in the long term."
Coach Ten Hag directs Man Utd players during the 3-3 draw with host Galatasaray at Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Group A of the Champions League on November 29. Photo: Reuters
At Ali Sami Yen Stadium on the evening of November 29, Man Utd led 2-0 after only 18 minutes thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes. After Hakim Ziyech scored a goal at the end of the first half, Scott McTominay helped the visitors restore the two-goal gap early in the second half.
But Man Utd could not maintain their advantage for the rest of the match due to defensive errors. In the 62nd minute, Andre Onana did not catch the ball well from Ziyech's free kick and picked the ball out of the net for the second time. Less than 10 minutes later, Man Utd's defense allowed Kerem Akturkoglu to freely penetrate the penalty area and shoot a powerful shot into the near corner to tie the score at 3-3.
Ten Hag stressed that Man Utd played well and should have won instead of going through a similar situation as the home loss to Galatasaray or the away match against Copenhagen. He also admitted that Man Utd's defense was not good enough and that making mistakes and losing a 3-1 lead was unacceptable.
The Dutch coach also analyzed how Man Utd conceded three goals in three different ways. The first goal came from Man Utd not defending well in the middle when Galatasaray attacked quickly. In the second goal, the "Red Devils" made an unnecessary foul and also did not stand well in the wall. In the third goal, Man Utd players did not mark and let Akturkoglu freely penetrate the penalty area. "That cannot happen, these mistakes cannot happen. You will be punished for that. So we have to learn," Ten Hag emphasized.
Coach 53 also defended Andre Onana - the goalkeeper who made mistakes and conceded the first two goals from Ziyech's weak and dangerous free kicks. "Onana did well. This result is not due to individual mistakes," said Ten Hag. "Individual mistakes in football can make a difference and you have to take responsibility for that, but the important thing is the team's problem. We are happy with Onana. The team did well and had a good performance. The players have to push each other."
The draw left Man Utd at the bottom of Group A and no longer having the right to decide their ticket to the round of 16. To continue, Ten Hag's team must beat Bayern and the remaining match between Copenhagen and Galatasaray ended in a draw in the final round on December 12.
Hong Duy
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