Manchester United’s exit from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich led Erik ten Hag to reflect on his team’s performance.
Despite a commendable effort against the Bundesliga giants, Ten Hag lamented the consequences of their earlier Group A results, leaving the Red Devils out of continental football in the new year.
Ten Hag praised his players’ effort, emphasising their strong performance against Bayern, Footballrover reports.
He highlighted their defensive organisation, pressing, and numerous ball regains, especially in the second half.
3 – Manchester United have been eliminated from the group stages of the Champions League in 3 of their 7 seasons in the competition since Alex Ferguson retired, as many times as they had in 18 campaigns under the Scotsman. Difficulty. #MUNFCB pic.twitter.com/Y3tjTscMCJ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 12, 2023
Despite this, he acknowledged the missed opportunities to convert regained possession into tangible benefits.
“I think we’ve had some good performances, but then we also made mistakes, individual errors from players. In the end, it’s not good enough, but I think, today, the performance was very good again, and we didn’t deserve to lose,” the coach said.
Admitting Bayern’s strength as a formidable opponent, Ten Hag acknowledged the individual class that allowed Bayern to capitalise on a single moment, resulting in their downfall.
For Manchester United, this exit means the end of their European campaign, eliminating any chances of participating even in the Europa League after Christmas.
4 – Manchester United have finished bottom of a UEFA Champions League group for just the second time, previously doing so in 2005-06. Rock. #MUNFCB pic.twitter.com/3pBf5yYSqA
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 12, 2023
Now, their focus shifts to salvaging their season, starting with a crucial upcoming clash against Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Bayern remains focused on maintaining their Bundesliga momentum against Stuttgart.
The team aims to channel the positives from their European campaign into their Premier League endeavours, seeking to secure a place at the top of the table in the following season.
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