Onana is an issue for Ten Hag
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Andre Onana has price Manchester United in two Champions League video games
Erik ten Hag can level to accidents and clearly this isn’t his strongest aspect, with Manchester United making an attempt to give you a short lived resolution at left-back. However the urge for food for excuses at Outdated Trafford is fading when the supervisor’s goalkeeper is creating such uncertainty.
He was not effectively supported by his defence in Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League defeat by Galatasaray. Diogo Dalot may have performed higher for the primary aim, Victor Lindelof was caught out of place for the second and Raphael Varane was nowhere to be seen for the third. Sofyan Amrabat struggled badly in that second half.
However whereas doubts over Dalot and Lindelof are hardly new, and Amrabat is taking part in out of place on the left, Onana was imagined to be the goalkeeper to assist usher in a brand new period at Manchester United, a person able to bringing calm to the crew in possession.
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Sanny Rudravajhala and Adam Bate focus on what went unsuitable for Manchester United of their Champions League defeat to Galatasaray.
He has already discovered himself concerned in numerous bushy incidents. Towards Galatasaray, he may need been extra assertive for Wilfried Zaha’s aim and there was one other hapless try to gather a cross within the second half. That appeared to have an effect on his confidence.
It was not lengthy afterwards that his poor cross out from the again immediately led to Casemiro being despatched off, shifting the momentum of the match. If David De Gea had made a mistake like that it could have been produced as proof of his incapacity to play together with his toes.
Onana can do it, he has demonstrated that capability, one thing that Ten Hag was eager to emphasize within the press convention after the sport. However the United boss is up towards it proper now and desires his large gamers to ship. His goalkeeper failed to do this and it proved expensive.
Adam Bate
Opta stats: Man Utd 2-3 Galatasaray
Manchester United have opened a UEFA Champions League marketing campaign with consecutive defeats for the primary time.
Man Utd have misplaced six of their 10 matches in all competitions this season (W4). They’ve additionally conceded 18 targets in 10 matches in all competitions in 2023/24; that’s their most since at this stage since 1966-67 (20).
Galatasaray have picked up 4 factors from their first two UEFA Champions League group matches this season – their finest begin to a CL marketing campaign since 1998/99 (additionally 4 factors).
This was Galatasaray’s first away win within the competitors since 3-2 towards Schalke within the final 16 in March 2013, and the primary time they’d scored in a UEFA Champions League away match since November 2015 towards Benfica, going seven matches within the competitors on the street with out scoring earlier than tonight.
Rasmus Højlund (20 years, 241 days) is the youngest participant to attain in his first two UEFA Champions League appearances since Erling Haaland in 2019 (19 years, 73 days), whereas he’s the fourth participant to have scored as many as three targets in his first two UEFA Champions League appearances for Man Utd, together with Dimitar Berbatov (4), Romelu Lukaku (3) and Wayne Rooney (3).
Wilfried Zaha scored his first UEFA Champions League aim. After failing to attain in his first 11 appearances towards Manchester United, Zaha has now scored 4 targets in his final 5 appearances towards his former aspect in all competitions.
Hojlund a shining mild for struggling Man Utd
If there may be one constructive to take from Manchester United’s newest disappointment, it is the efficiency of Rasmus Hojlund.
The 20-year-old was a shining mild on one other dismal night for Erik ten Hag’s aspect. United have been lacking a No 9 like him. Power, energy, tempo, willpower, terrific hold-up play and medical ending, Hojlund placed on a formidable particular person present at Outdated Trafford.
Signed from Atalanta for £72m this summer time, Hojlund made a surging run to go house Marcus Rashford’s cross early within the sport after which ran from inside his personal half earlier than making use of a fragile end to present United the lead once more after the break. He may have had a hat-trick however noticed one other composed strike appropriately disallowed for offside.
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Rasmus Hojlund scored twice for Manchester United towards Galatasaray at Outdated Trafford
The Denmark worldwide grew to become the youngest participant to attain in his first two Champions League appearances since Erling Haaland in 2019. He’s additionally simply the fourth man to seek out the web no less than 3 times in his first two Champions League matches for United after Romelu Lukaku, Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney.
Hojlund performed with maturity past his years towards Galatasaray and if his aspect defended correctly, this sport would have been all about him. His future is brilliant, even when United’s fast one just isn’t.
Dan Sansom
Arsenal want Saka and Martinelli again
Virtually everybody else may be changed: Arsenal can not afford to lose Bukayo Saka to damage.
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Bukayo Saka waits for therapy earlier than coming off in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Lens
Precisely why the England winger is so indispensable to Arsenal was seen of their defeat at Lens. As quickly as Saka got here off, the Gunners had a flat tyre.
Saka is the participant with essentially the most one-on-ones within the Premier League this season – he relentlessly explores these particular person duels with the full-back, and averages 14 per Premier League sport.
However on Tuesday night time, his alternative, Fabio Vieira, tried to get round his man solely as soon as.
It’s the similar on the opposite aspect: Gabriel Martinelli has comparable numbers to Saka. Leandro Trossard is an satisfactory alternative for the Brazilian, however Sunday’s go to of Manchester Metropolis calls for extra than simply satisfactory.
Mikel Arteta is aware of it too. “The 2 wingers that we’re lacking, they offer us quite a lot of menace,” he stated after the defeat to Lens. “And it is completely different to different qualities we have now within the squad.”
It feels that Arsenal’s hopes of beating Man Metropolis on Sunday might be decided by the crew information…
Sam Blitz
Opta stats: lens 2-1 Arsenal
Arsenal have suffered their first ever away UEFA Champions League defeat in France of their ninth sport there (W6 D2) – two of the 3 times they’ve didn’t win there have come towards Lens (1-1 attract 1998, 2-1 defeat tonight).
Lens grew to become the primary crew to beat Arsenal in a UEFA European match after conceding the primary aim since Eintracht Frankfurt in November 2019 in a UEFA Europa League match. The Gunners had been unbeaten in 17 such video games since then (W14 D3).
Aged 20 years and 274 days, Elye Wahi was the youngest Frenchman to attain and help in a UEFA Champions League match since Kylian Mbappé in December 2018 for PSG vs Crvena Zvezda, when he was 19.
Adrien Thomasson netted his first aim of the season in all competitions for Lens – it was his first ever aim in main European competitors on what was his first ever begin in UEFA competitors.
Gabriel Jesus grew to become the third participant to attain in first two UEFA Champions League appearances for Arsenal, together with Marouane Chamakh in 2010 and Lukas Podolski in 2012.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is the one Premier League participant with each 5 targets and 5 assists in all competitions this season, with Saka helping Gabriel Jesus’ aim tonight.
Particular person errors costing Arsenal
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Declan Rice reacts to Arsenal conceding in Lens
No Champions League video games are straightforward, particularly away from house. That is one thing you hear yearly and Arsenal came upon the laborious approach towards Lens on the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
With the French aspect taking part in their first Champions league house sport in additional than 20 years, the ambiance was hostile and raucous, however Arsenal did effectively to see off the early Lens storm earlier than taking the lead by way of Gabriel Jesus’ strike.
The Gunners had been in full management of the sport and retaining the house followers quiet. That was till David Raya’s free cross allowed Lens again into the sport by way of Adrien Thomasson’s superb end.
Sunday eighth October 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
When requested what he can do to assist his aspect lower out expensive errors, Arteta stated: “We need to cease every part and produce large potentialities for the crew to win the sport. However errors are a part of it and errors occur in soccer continuously, each three or 4 seconds an error will occur, yours or the opponent, and we have now to adapt to that.”
Ultimately, it proved actually expensive as Lens accomplished an excellent comeback to inflict a primary defeat of the season on Mikel Arteta’s aspect after Elye Wahi’s profitable aim. A person error additionally price Arsenal within the north London derby when Jorginho was caught in possession for Heung-min Son’s equaliser, which noticed Spurs rescue a degree on the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners, who have not discovered the fluency of final season to date this marketing campaign, can not afford errors. They’ll know they’ll want a near-perfect efficiency when the league leaders Man Metropolis come to city on Sunday.
Oliver Yew