impressive double saves against Crystal Palace and Fenerbahce<\/a>.<\/p>\nBut the challenge, according to Hoek and Pyzdrowski, is consistency, one of the most important qualities for goalkeepers, or as Hoek calls them, goalplayers, given their role on the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne small mistake has big consequences, so you have to eliminate as many mistakes as possible,\u201d says Hoek. \u201cIt\u2019s clear it doesn\u2019t have anything to do with Onana\u2019s qualities but how you influence his brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pyzdrowski feels part of Onana\u2019s inconsistency has been down to the team\u2019s instability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goalkeeper position is so vulnerable to that,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not to make excuses, just context.\u201d<\/p>\n
Onana joined in 2023 under Erik ten Hag, who he had worked with at Ajax. He has had to adjust to a new manager, goalkeeping coach and different instructions.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast season was a very, very difficult season for United,\u201d Pyzdrowski says. \u201cThey tested a lot of different things. Onana needs the things around him to fit, be smooth and have clear patterns of play so he knows where he\u2019s going to pass.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast season, the players didn\u2019t know where they were supposed to be in the build-up play and from goal kicks. A lot of the time, Onana was looking for solutions, and when it was not there, he was forced to hoof it long. It didn\u2019t look like players wanted the ball either. It was almost like players were hiding. No matter how good you are, you could have stuck Alisson or Ederson in the team; that\u2019s very hard. You need to be able to build that trust with the players in front of you; otherwise, it\u2019s going to create chaos.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnited need a clear set of principles and identity and stick with it so everyone, regardless of the opponent, knows the ground rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
After taking charge in November, Amorim had selected Onana for every Premier League game, but towards the end of last season, he switched between the two goalkeepers. Onana, however, started every Europa League knockout tie, including the final.<\/p>\n
According to Hoek, head coaches must trust their players, but even more so with the goalkeeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a head coach does not have a good feeling, the goalkeepers know,\u201d he says. \u201cThey don\u2019t need to say it, they feel it, and it is then very difficult for them to reach their highest level. The moment he really believes in them, they have a big chance to survive. The moment he doesn\u2019t, they need to change.\u201d<\/p>\n
So what should United do? In the short term, with Onana and Bayindir available, Pyzdrowski believes you have to back one of them and give them confidence.<\/p>\n
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Onana needs to be backed, says Pyzdrowski (Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cOnana is clearly a goalkeeper who needs backing from his manager,\u201d says Pyzdrowski. \u201cHe\u2019s not the type of person who can deal with mind games that some managers play.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a sensitive guy, and I don\u2019t mean that in a negative way. If a goalkeeper knows that, regardless of what happens on the pitch, they are going to play \u2014 you still hold him accountable \u2014 they will just naturally perform better. That\u2019s just part of the psychology.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t be rotating, not with where United are at, it just won\u2019t work. Competition is good, but it needs to be healthy. Regardless of results or errors, back that guy. If the insecurity comes from the coach, it\u2019s going to feed to the rest of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
United need stability in goal and someone whose presence gives them confidence that they can get a result.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the biggest thing they have been lacking over the last six to 12 months,\u201d says Pyzdrowski. \u201cThey need a goalkeeper who is going to do the traditional things: obviously save the ball, dominate the box for crosses and be a leader at the back.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you don\u2019t need to be the best with the ball at your feet, you can play a little bit more direct but the most important thing is you keep the ball out of the back of the net. Ironically, that sounds like De Gea. It could be a case of \u2018you don\u2019t know what you had until it\u2019s gone\u2019 but considering where United were in their development and where they wanted to go, it was still the correct decision at the time to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amorim said after the Arsenal loss he was \u201chappy\u201d with his three goalkeepers, but should United re-prioritise signing a No 1 before the transfer window shuts?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s based on what the head coach feels,\u201d says Hoek. \u201cIf he doesn\u2019t trust the guys he has, he needs to sign a new goalkeeper.\u201d Hoek thinks the very fact of doing so will show the head coach trusts his new No 1.<\/p>\n
The problem is who is available and at what cost<\/a>. The Athletic has previously reported that unless Bayindir or Onana are sold, the club are unlikely to sign another goalkeeper.<\/p>\n\u201cIf they are going to spend a lot of money, they need to get it right because they cannot afford not to,\u201d says Pyzdrowski. \u201cAt the same time, there are no guarantees. We\u2019ve seen big expectations put on newcomers\u2019 shoulders, and they just don\u2019t perform, in all different positions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoek, who has worked across La Liga, the Bundesliga and Eredivisie, points out that Bayindir, and to a lesser extent Onana, are still relatively new to the Premier League, which is, in his words, \u201ccompletely different to any other league in the world\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe competitive level is high on a daily basis,\u201d says Hoek. \u201cThere are no easy games or opponents. Some survive immediately, and some need some more time. When you are lucky, they adapt quickly but normally it takes more time to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoek emphasises the importance of a balanced goalkeeping unit to fall back on. Instead of a new No 1, Pyzdrowski would keep Onana and recruit a more experienced No 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone solid but also hungry who needs that challenge of coming to a big club, has potential for the future, and who\u2019s going to be breathing down Onana\u2019s neck, but Onana still knows he\u2019s the No 1. Right now there\u2019s a gap between the No 1 and 2. And I just don\u2019t think the No 2 is good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recruitment of the past is still haunting United today. Whatever decision they make, patience and trust will have to follow.<\/p>\n
(Top photos: Matt McNulty\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ruben Amorim furrowed his brow in complete bewilderment. Following Manchester United\u2019s 1-0 defeat by Arsenal, in which Altay…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,98,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-363861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-manchester-united","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115070805251480059","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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