06 October 2023 , 09:36
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Christian Eriksen has admitted that Manchester United's habit of conceding goals almost immediately after scoring is becoming a major concern.
The Red Devils have endured their worst start to a season in 37 years under Erik ten Hag, whose position has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks. United's recent run went from bad to worse in midweek, following their collapse against Galatasaray in the Champions League.
United twice took the lead at Old Trafford through Rasmus Hojlund, only for the Turkish champions to hit back almost instantly on both occasions. Mauro Icardi then bagged a late winner for Galatasaray, leaving United pointless at the bottom of Group A after two games.
United have been poor defensively so far this season in the Premier League, where they have lost four of their first seven matches for the first time. And Eriksen is adamant that an inability to stay sharp in key moments is having a detrimental effect.
"I think we had some good spells in the game, but at the moment when we go ahead, we always seem to concede shortly after," the Danish midfielder told TNT Sports on Tuesday night. "Of course, that makes it very difficult for us to keep control of the game and that's something that we have to change very quickly.
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"I don't think it's the confidence, it's more the lack of awareness and sharpness to really keep ourselves in form and stay ahead twice - we shouldn't be throwing that away and we've done that in other games this season. So I don't think it's a lack of confidence, we're just making the wrong decisions at the wrong times and it's costing us."
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Christian Eriksen pulled no punches after Manchester United's 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray on Tuesday nightUnited have already shipped 11 goals in their seven league matches this term, and the onus is on Ten Hag to tighten things up. His cause has not been helped, though, by Andre Onana's poor start to life at Old Trafford and the absence of Lisandro Martinez.
The Red Devils now face a crucial showdown with Brentford at Old Trafford on Saturday before the international break, with Ten Hag in need of a result after overseeing back-to-back defeats.
Despite United's poor start to the season - both domestically and in Europe - chief executive Richard Arnold made it clear to staff that, despite United's underwhelming start to the season, the club were still fully behind Ten Hag at an extraordinary meeting, per The Telegraph.