21 September 2023 , 12:15
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Rio Ferdinand has admitted Manchester United need to be 'harder to play against' and cut out defensive errors if they want to turn their poor run of form around.
Erik ten Hag's side suffered a 4-3 defeat against Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the Champions League. Andre Onana made a costly mistake leading to Leroy Sane's opener, while Serge Gnabry, Harry Kane and Mathys Tel also struck for the German champions at the Allianz Arena.
As for United, Rasmus Hojlund scored his first goal for the club and Casemiro struck a brace to avoid a humiliation, even though Onana made several excellent saves in the second half to stop Bayern from scoring more. United have now lost three matches on the bounce and have kept one clean sheet this season.
Ex-United defender Ferdinand dissected the Red Devils' recent form and believes they must defend better and make teams work harder to score against them. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: "They showed a bit of spirit at the end, but up until that point they are not making it hard enough for teams to score goals - goals and chances are being given up too easily.
"They are making it hard for themselves. When you come to places like this, you have got to be hard to play against, concentrate and be hard to get through and they are not being that at the moment. And, when they get their moments in these games they are not being clinical enough - to score three goals at the Allianz Arena, you have to get away with something."
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Paul Scholes also delivered his verdict on United's disappointing start to the season, which has seen them win just twice from their opening six matches in all competitions. He said: "When you look at the game as a whole, I thought Manchester United did well but still conceded two goals early on and lacked that concentration.
Manchester United's Champions League campaign got off to a losing start in Munich (Getty Images)"Those three goals flattered Manchester United, I thought they were outclassed in the second half really. There is experience in this team, but it’s not being used."
Onana's mistake caught the eye of many fans and pundits and the Cameroon international admitted he was to blame for United's latest defeat. But Ten Hag decided to share the responsibility on the whole team, rather than pinpoint the blame on one player.
"I think he shows that he takes the responsibility and shows personality and the personality he needs to get in high levels," Ten Hag explained. "But that's not only about him, I think it's about the team's performance.
"So we have to support him on the pitch, we have to help him. but it doesn't only count for Andre, it counts for all the players on the pitch. They have to understand they are 11, they are in the same boat and they have to be on the same page to get results."