New Delhi: Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is again in the spotlight as he made another mistake in the United match against Viktoria Plzen in Europa League on Thursday night. Rasmus Hojlund’s double though helped them secure a crucial 2-1 victory over the Plzen.
With the match entering goalless in the second half, Onan failed his attempt to pass out to Matthijs de Ligt and the same was intercepted by Pavel Sulc who swiftly teed up Matej Vydra to score. Hojlund helped seal the victory but mistake by Onana was second in the as many games and is emerging as a concern as they will be playing their rivals Manchester City up next on Sunday in Premier League fixture.
However, United captain Bruno Fernandes came out in the defence of his teammate and said, “We have huge belief in him. He knows he made a mistake because he is a clever guy, he is going to help us many times and we trust his qualities on the ball.”
Mistakes made by Onana
In the Premier League, Andre Onana has arguably been one of the best goalkeepers this season, achieving six clean sheets. However, with strong performances come added expectations, and the same applies to Onana. His past mistakes now amplify any error he makes, often turning him into a focal point of discussion.
However, the 28-year-old found himself under scrutiny after making two critical mistakes last year in Manchester United’s 3-3 draw with Galatasaray. The outcome damaged the hopes of progressing beyond Champions League group stage.
This season, although Onana has remained rock solid in the United’s goalpost but the error against Viktoria Plzen came just days after poor performance against Nottingham Forest. In that match, he misread Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot, shifting to his right while the centrally struck effort sailed past his hand, contributing to Forest’s 3-2 victory.
Nottingham Forest punished Andre Onana. He is not even the best goalkeeper at Manchester United pic.twitter.com/lh3KLxuOQ8
— Triple M (@Tripple____M) December 8, 2024
Is Onana really at fault?
Manchester United’s style of play is increasingly popular in modern football and emphasizes more on building attacks through short, precise passes starting with the goalkeeper. While it has its benefits such as bypassing high-pressing opponents, it also poses significant risks when execution falters.
Andre Onana’s decision to pass the ball to Matthijs de Ligt has drawn criticism but it wasn’t solely Onana’s execution that led to the opposition’s goal. De Ligt’s hesitancy in positioning and his slow reaction time compounded the situation, leaving him unable to adequately respond to the pressure. He might face the challenges in Amorim’s playing style and while Onana’s role is being debated, the breakdown appears to stem from a collective failure in execution rather than an isolated individual error.
[®]™ One word for Andre Onana 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/JsbVKeT1CA
— United Radar (@UnitedRadar) December 12, 2024
Andre Onana vs David de Gea
Onana came to Old Trafford in last July as former manager Erik ten Hag picked him to replace the Dutchman David de Gea with the aim of moving towards more possession-based style of play which starts with the goalkeeper.
De Gea played for United for 12 years and spent a while out of the game before joining the Italian side Fiorentina in summer. Comparisons to De Gea are to be expected given that the Cameroonian was brought to replace him, ever more to that the former Sapnish goalkeeper is having an excellent season so far having kept seven clean sheets in 14 appearances.
He also possesses a better save percentage of 80 compared to Onana’s 67.1 and has yet to make a major error leading to goals compared to two in Onana’s account. The 34-year-old has also faced fewer shots 55 to Onana’s 82 which highlights the strength of the defence in front of him as his side sits fourth in the Serie A standings compared to United’s 13th in the Premeir League.
The only stat in favour of Onana is that he has played more passes than De Gea but he has done that at much better rate. Though, this season Onana’s pass completion rate has outshone David De Gea’s final year at Old Trafford where the Spanish goalkeeper managed an accuracy of just 72.6%.
His proficiency with the ball is a significant factor in why he was signed 18 months ago and remains a vital element why he needs to be part of Amorim’s tactical approach.
Andre Onana’s errors playing out from the back are sparking debate about his fit at Manchester United. Is he the right goalkeeper for Ruben Amorim’s possession-based system? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
