Andre Onana reacts to defeat to Galatasaray Photo: CameraSport via Getty Images/Alex Dodd
Andre Onana has become a target for rivals » Manchester United for staying on their line and putting shots on target can reveal Telegraph Sport.
United's £47.2m summer signing conceded an average of almost two goals per game , but Erik ten Hag supported the Cameroon team, despite a series of high-profile errors and bad kicks.
But it is understood that Onana's position in particular has been the focus of opposition analysts preparing to face United this season. The 27-year-old was deep in his own area when United were out of possession.
A club source said players were told to target Onana early because he is so deep in his own penalty area that actually increases the gate for them. He often steps forward to receive the ball with his feet, but retreating to his goal line is seen as a weakness that the opposition can exploit.
Galatasaray's goals in the 3-2 Champions League win The week was an example of Onana's technical shortcomings. Wilfried Zaha scored with a long pass down the middle from Onana deep in his six-yard box.
The winning goal at Old Trafford, the Turkish club's first away win in the Champions League group stage in more than a decade, was scored , when Mauro Icardi ran past and picked off Onana with the United goalkeeper about seven yards from goal.
Bayern Munich also scored from close range in United's first Group A defeat and Onana was guilty of an error when he allowed Leroy Sane's shot to slip through his hands while on the goal line. Goalkeepers are taught to stay outside their line, so angles make the opponent's goal smaller.
Onana lets Leroy Sane's shot slip out of his hands during defeat to Bayern Munich Photo: AFP via Getty Images/Christof Stache
It is understood that Onana was the only goalkeeper considered by Ten Hag, who coached him at Ajax, in the summer . But even in their shared journey to the Champions League semi-finals, Onana's performance in the infamous defeat to Tottenham exposed some weaknesses in his game.
Ten Hag was asked directly whether he would consider sacking Onana if his defenders lost confidence in their goalkeeper. “He can become one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” Ten Hag said. “We have already seen his great abilities, as well as his personality. He will make a mistake and come back and I'm sure he will do it again.»
Onana's kicking was also poor and one of his mistakes led to Galatasaray winning a penalty on Tuesday night, but it could not be implemented. from Icardi.
He was praised for his distribution when he arrived from Inter Milan as goalkeeper Ten Hag looked to replace David de Gea. But this season he is only sixth on the list for goalkeeper passes. Onana made 246 passes while Brentford's Mark Flekken, who is due to visit Old Trafford this Saturday, passed the 300 mark. Onana's passing accuracy in all competitions is 76.1 percent, meaning he loses the ball once every four times it is at his feet. xGOT (expected goals on target) statistics also show that his results are inferior.
United can at least try to build on Rasmus Hoylund's two goals against Galatasaray, despite a dramatic late collapse which left them without a point and next facing Copenhagen.
< p>“We need to get some points now if we want to play in the Champions League after the group stage,” the Denmark striker said ahead of home and away matches against his compatriots.
“I’m looking forward to playing against them because it is a former club, my brothers play there, and I love Copenhagen very much. But now I'm playing for Manchester United and we need to get some points from them.
“We've had a few games where they just scored after we scored. We need to go back and analyze this and talk about it as a group. Of course, this is a difficult period, but we need to stick together and this is the only way to get out of this period.
United, meanwhile, is investigating how Galatasaray fans obtained tickets to the team's home stadium. Old Trafford for their famous victory.
Свежие комментарии