What Ten Hag got wrong as Man Utd suffer Champions League torment at Galatasaray
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Manchester United have their work cut out for them after a 3-3 draw at Galatasaray stunted their Champions League hopes on Wednesday.
The Red Devils now look all but certain to exit the competition's group stage unless they can beat Bayern Munich on the final matchday. And even then, they'll need the result to go in their favour when Gala face Copenhagen – who could still finish second – in December.
United boss Ten Hag has already been under pressure to turn the ship around following a lacklustre start to the season at Old Trafford. And that pressure doesn't look likely to lessen anytime soon after he failed to end the club's winless run on the road to Turkish titans Gala.
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Hurrying Hojlund
Should Manchester United replace Erik ten Hag? Let us know in the comments section below.
Despite not being fit to play any part in Sunday's 3-0 win at Everton, Rasmus Hojlund was thrown back into United's XI for the trip to Turkey. And Ten Hag was perhaps proved wrong for messing with something that wasn't broken.
Not that Goodison Park can quite be compared to a Champions League night in Istanbul, but Anthony Martial might have been the superior option after scoring on Merseyside. An hour-long appearance saw Hojlund play a role in Alejandro Garnacho's opener, but he was otherwise hard to notice as he took just 18 touches and lost possession twice.
Missing Mainoo
Speaking of players who deserved to keep their place from Sunday's Premier League win, Kobbie Mainoo was one such name fans were surprised to see missing from Wednesday's team sheet. Not least because the 18-year-old was named Player of the Match at Goodison before being shelved for Sofyan Amrabat.
Perhaps Ten Hag felt experience would play a key role in Istanbul, but then Amrabat hardly looked entirely at ease after being carded prior to half-time. Mainoo eventually replaced him on the hour mark, but by then he had a very different task ahead as momentum shifted in favour of the hosts.
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In Maguire We Trust?
For all the criticism he's had to endure in recent months (and years), one thing no-one can call Harry Maguire is mentally weak. That being said, it's possible four-time Champions League-winner Rahael Varane might have been better-equipped to deal with the task ahead of United on Wednesday.
Maguire, 30, dominated aerially but showed a familiar shakiness at times, hardly marshalling the back line with confidence considering they twice lost two-goal leads. Granted, there are far more moving parts at play for that to be solely Maguire's fault, but it's fair to say Ten Hag's search for a successor in defence goes on.
- Manchester United FC
- Champions League
- Premier League
- Erik ten Hag
- Bruno Fernandes
- Harry Maguire
- Galatasaray FC
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