Bruno: We have to manage the game better
Bruno Fernandes believes a lack of control has cost Manchester United dearly at certain times during this season's Champions League group stage.
The Reds twice held two-goal leads against Galatasaray, with the United captain assisting Alejandro Garnacho’s rocket and then finding the net himself during the opening 20 minutes in Istanbul.
Hakim Ziyech halved the deficit with a free-kick before the break, but Scott McTominay then poked home Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross to double our advantage.
Another Ziyech set piece was followed by a brilliant strike from Kerem Akturkoglu and, with United somehow not able to score a fourth in the closing stages, Erik ten Hag’s side had dropped points from a winning position again in this season’s competition.
Our captain conceded that the game management from the players has not been up to scratch, with the Reds also letting slip advantageous positions in the reverse fixture, and against Copenhagen in Denmark.
"We conceded really bad goals..."
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Bruno Fernandes bemoans Man Utd's defensive fragility as they surrendered a two-goal lead twice against Galatasaray to draw 3-3.@julesbreach | #UCL pic.twitter.com/oVGGt393ng
“It’s too bad, to be honest,” said a disappointed Bruno, in the bowels of RAMS Park.
“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.”
When asked if United had scars from their previous Group A outings, Fernandes preferred to see each fixture in isolation.
He felt that, even with the score at 3-3, we could have found a winner late on in Turkey, if we’d played the right pass at the right time.
“Every time we concede a goal, we have many chances to score again,” Bruno added.
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“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.”