Harry Maguire has admitted that Manchester United are mentally fragile – a problem that manifested itself once again at the Reds played out a 3-3 Europa League draw against FC Porto.
Maguire’s goal rescued a lucky point for United at the Estádio do Dragão but questions still remain over Erik ten Hag’s suitability after another tepid performance.
During the Dutchman’s tenure at Old Trafford, United have demonstrated a propensity to crumble at the first sign of adversity. Whenever United concede, they go on to collapse, allowing rival teams to score goals in quick succession.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the final whistle, Maguire addressed this issue and admitted that it’s something he and his teammates need to deal with.
The England international said, “After every match, you analyse and speak amongst yourselves. The manager spoke, a few members of staff spoke and the players spoke as well.”
“It’s pretty normal and I’ve been in plenty of dressing rooms when you have a chat and speak about what you can do better. I think when you go 2-0 up away from home at a place like this you’ve got to be a little bit more solid and more secure. There were far too many gaps and crosses coming into the box.”
“I think in the first half there were five or six dangerous balls coming into the box and they ultimately punished us for it. We played really well with the ball in the first half, just really poorly without it. I think it’s more the mental issue [conceding goals in quick succession] and it’s something we have to overcome.”
“It probably starts with belief. When we go 2-0 up and concede, does the belief go a little bit between the boys that we can go on and win the game here? So it’s something we need to be aware of.”
Maguire added, “We need to make sure when we do concede, we get together and regroup and stick together because that’s part and parcel of football. You can talk about leadership but it’s an easy word to throw out.”
“The boys on the pitch have to realise that this has happened far too many times and it’s something we need to reset, refocus and go back to the game plan that got us the lead in the first place. It’s something we must improve. If we want to be successful this season, we can’t be conceding two goals in as many minutes as we did this evening.”
Before the half-hour mark, United had jumped up by two goals thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund.
But the team’s lead was quickly erased after horrendous spurts of pathetic defending allowed Pepe and Samu Omorodion to tie the score.
After fifty minutes, Omorodion scored his second goal to turn the tide of the match in the hosts’ favor, making things worse for United.
Porto was winning handily and appeared to be about to seal a commanding victory until Maguire, coming off the bench, headed in a thrilling equalizer in additional time.
It doesn’t get easier for United, with their next assignment being a trip to Villa Park on Sunday to face Unai Emery’s men.