Getting a positive result against Bayern Munich and hoping things went Man United’s way in the Copenhagen vs Galatasaray Champions League game on Tuesday was always going to be a tall order for Erik ten Hag.
With two injuries to Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw during the game to contend with too, it’s to United’s credit that they managed to restrict the Bavarians to just the one goal.
That’s all it took to knock the Red Devils completely out of Europe however, and in so doing, it set unprecedented records for an English club in the Champions League.
? Manchester United are out of the European competitions.
15 goals conceded and four defeats in UCL Group A. pic.twitter.com/rDFrBNJlv4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 12, 2023
As Fabrizio Romano detailed on X (formerly Twitter), United conceded 15 goals in their six group games, and that’s the most ever in the competition by an English club.
Four defeats from those six matches is also United’s worst performance in a group stage.
Even if one takes into account the extenuating circumstances, it’s still nowhere near good enough, and on the night, had United taken the game to their opponents in an attacking sense, the game was there to be won.
The lack of quality across the squad was shown time and again, and that, arguably, is ten Hag’s biggest problem.
A problem that could come back to bite him when Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes over and wants answers as to why so much money has been spent on the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Sofyan Amrabat and Antony et al..