André Onana has been accused of unsettling his team-mates and invoking a shoot-in-sight policy on opponents after “catastrophic” mistakes left Manchester United on the brink of Champions League elimination.
Erik ten Hag’s £47.2m summer signing from Inter Milan made two obvious errors to concede Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick, then head to the near post to allow Galatasaray to draw 3-3.
Former United midfielder Paul Scholes said Onana’s concentration was poor, making simple saves difficult. Meanwhile, Owen Hargreaves questioned his technique after mistakes at Rams Park. Stephen Warnock described his mistakes as disastrous.
“Managers must take responsibility for signing,” Scholes said. “It’s a shame that he hasn’t looked good in the last few weeks. He’s making unorthodox saves and I think he’s very comfortable in the Champions League and his concentration isn’t good. “For a goalkeeper, concentration is everything.
Of Onana’s second goal conceded, Scholes added: “It’s a terrible mistake and I’m not sure what he was trying to do. He makes the whole team nervous, makes simple saves seem difficult, and even when he scores the third goal, I don’t think he should be beaten. He looks like he’s going to give up every time, so teams will say ‘shoot him’.
“You can’t legislate goalkeeper mistakes and it happens too often now. I don’t know what they’re doing about it now.”
Hargreaves, who won the Champions League with United, added: “It was a huge moment in the game. They were in control of the game and it was Onana’s mistake. They were making mistakes that you can’t make in the Champions League, conceding soft goals.”
“His technique seems unusual. There’s more pressure on being a goalkeeper at Manchester United, he’s played big games before and he’s confident but the mistakes he makes weigh on him. These are things he can sort out with his goalkeeper coach. He’ll have to pick up those simple things that are bouncing around him. The players do that.” “They will keep trying.”
Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Warnock added: “Manchester United should have won this game. André Onana let them down.
“I think Onana should not be beaten at the near post. Your positioning needs to be better. He let his team down tonight and I don’t like saying it. “In a match of this magnitude you have to do better.”
“This is a goalkeeping error [for the first goal]. He shouldn’t go in there because that’s his side. He is gambling. This is a big mistake by Onana. Onana is having a terrible night, and it’s one she will desperately try to forget. He scores his own goal. [for the second goal]. Disaster.”
The goals conceded by Onana came under United’s leadership
1. Hakim Ziyech (29 minutes)
United were in control when Bruno Fernandes conceded a free kick on the counter-attack. Onana built a weak defensive wall, with Galatasaray players creating space when they moved aside. Onana was on the wrong side of the goal and Ziyech’s shot went straight down the middle. “The goalkeeper should have saved it. “Getting to the left was fatal,” said TNT Sports’ Scholes.
2. Ziyech (62 minutes)
Similar distance, this time to the left side of the penalty area. Ziyech’s free-kick went straight to Onana and could have easily been collected even though he had slipped in front of the Cameroonian international goalkeeper. Onana appeared to try to clear the ball but it went over the line.
“What is the Man Utd goalkeeper doing there?” 😳
While Hakim Ziyech’s stopper brings another goal to Galatasaray, André Onana will not want to watch this goal!#UCL pic.twitter.com/o0R7vzaCdO
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) 29 November 2023
3. Kerem Aktürkoğlu (71 minutes)
Galatasaray’s equalizing goal was substitute Aktürkoğlu’s excellent shot, but the ball still went into Onana’s goal near the post. Analyzing the game as an expert, Scholes suggested that the game should be saved.
Ten Hag criticized the defense but refused to blame Onana
Ten Hag criticized United’s defending but refused to blame Onana after two more errors from the goalkeeper cost Galatasaray dearly.
United have scored 14 goals in five Champions League matches so far but Ten Hag has chosen not to single out Onana for criticism despite his dismay at the goals his side have conceded.
“We win and lose together,” the United manager said. “HE [Onana] Ok. As I said, this is not about individuals. In football individual mistakes can make a difference and you take responsibility for that but it’s always about the team.
“We played so well that I have to compliment the team, but at the same time I have to criticize the team. We are not defending well enough.
“We are 3-1 ahead and that makes the difference. You will be punished for that in the Champions League [mistakes] so we should learn from this.
“I am responsible for this (throwing away the odds). But know that we are in a project, we are moving forward, we are making improvements. I am confident that we will be successful in the long run. “I’m disappointed because we should have won the game.”
Onana had wildly celebrated United’s second goal but Ten Hag rejected suggestions his goalkeeper had lost focus, preferring to praise Ziyech’s free-kick.
“It’s hard to make that connection, to see it as a cause of or related to misfocus,” he said. “This is Hakim’s genius, the first free kick. He scored a lot of goals that way against the best goalkeepers in the world.”
Facundo Pellistri turned away a superb chance late on as Fernandes lamented United’s defending and wastefulness. “We conceded some really bad goals,” the United captain said. “We had too many chances to score another goal and finish the game. And we weren’t clinical enough.
“Every time we concede a goal we have a chance to score again. We need to control our games.
“This is not the first game we have played like this. Even in Copenhagen we won 3-2, you need to be smart enough and manage the game better. Everyone must stand up and take responsibility for their own mistakes.”