Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has urged his teammates to get ‘smart’ and improve their game management ability following a disappointing draw against Galatasaray in the Champions League.
The Red Devils took on the Turkish giants in a crucial encounter last night and managed to find themselves two goals ahead. But they couldn’t hold onto the lead and eventually had to settle for a 3-3 draw. Andre Onana displayed a poor performance on the night as he made one blunder that led to a goal and was partially responsible for the other two.
Following this result, Man Utd remain at the bottom of the group with four points from five games. They will now have to beat Bayern Munich in the last group game and hope that the match between FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray ends in a stalemate to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Erik ten Hag’s side have now dropped eight points from winning position in this competition, scoring 12 goals and conceding 14. Therefore, it is apparent that Man Utd have managed to score goals but their defensive frailties have been the main issue behind their downfall.
Now, speaking to the media after the game versus Cimbom, Fernandes has said that it’s disappointing to see where United have found themselves in the Champions League. The midfielder further states that the Red Devils need to control the game better as they have consistently been conceding goals after scoring first in this tournament.
Bruno urges his teammates to get ‘smart’
The Portuguese also adds that United players need to get ‘smart’ and improve their final decision in the opposition box. They should play the pass to teammates if they are in a better position rather than going for glory.
Fernandes said:
“It’s too bad, to be honest. I don’t want to be too negative but what we have been doing in the Champions League is not enough. We have to control our games, every time. It’s not the first game we have like this. Even in Copenhagen, I understand we had one player less but we score for 3-2 and we have to secure the result.
“We have to understand in this kind of game, on this kind of stage, you have to be smart enough and manage the game better. Every time we concede a goal, we have many chances to score again. I think at the end of the game we have like four chances to score a goal.
“We have to put our heads up and understand that sometimes it’s about finding another pass, finding a player that is free, trying to get the one that is in the best position and not taking the chance ourselves. We have to look at the team first and afterwards for ourselves.”
Man Utd will have to brush off this disappointing draw and focus on the Premier League assignment as they will now face off against Newcastle United this weekend.
