Siddharth Juyal
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag took responsibility for throwing away the two-goal lead against Galatasaray
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag accepted the responsibility as his team threw away the two-goal lead against Galatasaray. The Red Devils drew 3-3 away at RAMS Park stadium in their fifth Champions League Group A fixture.
United led the game with a two-goal advantage, scoring twice in the first hour of the game. Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes delivered an early lead, scoring in the 11th and 18th minute of the game respectively.
Galatasaray fought back in the 29th minute through a free-kick goal from Hakim Ziyech. However, the Red Devils regained the two-goal advantage in the 55th minute through a clinical finish from Scott McTominay.
The Turkish club fought back with two goals in the 62nd and 71st minute from Ziyech and Muhammed Karen Akturkoglu. United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana played a critical role in the catastrophic defensive display from the team. The Cameroon international made a howler during the first two goals from Ziyech, costing three crucial points for his team.
Ten Hag told TNT Sports (Manchester United’s official site) that he should be the first to take the blame. He said:
“It’s always me [who is to blame for throwing away leads]. I am responsible for this, but also know we are in a project. We’re getting forward, we’re making improvement, so that’s very hopeful. We are in the right direction, so I know where we have to go and which steps we have to take and I’m sure we will be successful in the long term. If we want to stay in the Champions League, we have to win the next game.”
United should have won the away game at Galatasaray after taking the two-goal lead. The team managed to subdue the hostile Galatasaray fans and the home team left a lot of space to exploit.
However, Ten Hag opted to stick with the attack-minded formation that opened up the game to nobody’s advantage. In the blame game, one can hold the United manager responsible, but Onana’s performance surpasses everyone else’s.
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United are fourth in the Champions League Group A as they face Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on December 13. The Red Devils are facing elimination from the Champions League before even reaching the knockout stages.
They need to win their last fixture against the Group’s best team and hope FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw. The worst-case scenario is the fourth-place finish which eliminates United completely from Europe, even missing the Europa League knockout stage.
