Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana continued to make the same alarming error that he has struggled with in recent times when his team fell to a 2-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers last night.
This issue was his ability to maintain control in his box during a corner kick as opposing players looked to restrict his movement.
In the 58th minute, Matheus Cunha stepped up to take a corner, curling his ball into the back of the net directly from the corner flag.
While an impressive feat, Onana remained sandwiched between two Wolves attackers, restricting his movement and preventing him from reaching the ball when he rose to stop it.
“Onana, like all goalkeepers, are coming under pressure at corner kicks. Carefully orchestrated blocking using a player in front of and behind the goalkeeper is now standard practice,” former PGMOL chief and FIFA official Keith Hackett explained.
“Wolves opened the scoring with the goalkeeper protesting. Goalkeepers need to seriously think how they can overcome this what has now become standard practice.”
Having conceded directly from a corner last night, United have now conceded a club-record 18 goals from free-kicks and corners for the year.
But while Onana may be the keeper between the sticks, there are more figures at the club who are at fault for this disastrous situation than the Cameroonian alone.
Why have his defenders never piped up and pointed out the error of his ways? Why is it that they keep making the same defensive errors from corners, as was seen from goals in the Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur defeats?
What’s more, Ruben Amorim’s coaching staff should be the ones pointing this out. Jelle ten Rouwelaar, who was appointed goalkeeping coach in July, has failed to rectify Onana’s issues since his arrival.
But aside from Onana’s performance issues and the shortfalls of his defence, there are simple fixes that can be implemented in order to patch up United’s defence in set pieces. Why not place a player at the near and far posts for extra coverage? That seems like a basic tactic that makes logical sense given the ample space the defenders tend to give the opposition.
No matter how many goalkeeping errors Onana makes in any given match, United’s defensive woes extend far beyond his capabilities. After all, even in matches when the Cameroonian is at his impressive best, glitches from the rest of the defence always pose the risk of easy goals for United’s opponents.
Feature image Richard Pelham via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
