"I don’t think it’s confidence" - Christian Eriksen names 2 things Manchester United lacked in recent weeks following Galatasaray loss
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen believes the Red Devils need to work on their awareness and sharpness after they were defeated 3-2 by Galatasaray 3-2 last night (October 3).
Erik ten Hag and Co. lost their opening two UEFA Champions League games for the first time in the club's history after they were also beaten 4-3 against Bayern Munich last month.
Despite playing at Old Trafford and taking the lead twice against Galatasaray through Rasmus Hojlund's brace, United were unable to really take control of the game.
Wilfried Zaha, Kerem Akturkoglu, and Mauro Icardi scored one goal apiece as the visitors secured all three points against a 10-man United side after Casemiro was sent off late in the second half.
Eriksen, who came on as a substitute during the loss, gave his thoughts on the game (via METRO):
"It’s a big disappointment. It was very quiet in the dressing room. I think we had some good spells in the game, but in the end, when we went ahead, we conceded shortly after and of course, that makes it difficult to stay in the game."
"That’s something we have to change and quickly. I don’t think it’s confidence, it’s more awareness and sharpness to really keep our form. Going ahead twice, you shouldn’t throw that away and we’ve done that in some other games this season."
He continued:
"I don’t think it’s confidence, I think it’s sharpness and wrong decisions at the wrong times and a bit of bad luck following us around at the moment. We have to do a lot of work but again it’s the details. The chances they had were from our mistakes and if we don’t make them, we don’t concede as we do."
"Luckily, it’s only the start of the competition, we’ve only played two games and there’s still a lot of games to play. We know for the next game we need to win every game for the opportunity to go through."
Manchester United are at the bottom of Group A in the Champions League with zero points from two games, six points behind group leaders Bayern Munich.
Who do Manchester United play next?
Manchester United have had a torrid start to their campaign after winning the Carabao Cup and finishing third in the Premier League last season.
They are currently 10th in the league standings with nine points from seven games, the club's lowest tally since 1989. Moreover, Ten Hag's side have already suffered six defeats in 10 games this season, with four of these coming in the Premier League.
Manchester United will have a chance to bounce back against Thomas Frank's Brentford this Saturday, October 7 at Old Trafford. The former have the statistical advantage, having won their last five home games against the Bees in all competitions.