Maguire or De Gea: Who was at fault for Sevilla’s opening goal against Man Utd
Man Utd goalkeeper David de Gea had a night to forget against Sevilla Reuters/Carl Recine.
Sevilla ended Manchester United’s European campaign for the third time in the last six seasons, leaving Erik ten Hag with some big decisions to make in the summer.
The Man Utd boss has lately lauded both Maguire and De Gea for their contribution to his side. After the Red Devils’ win over Everton, Ten Hag highlighted improvement in Maguire’s game. He also praised his No 1 before the second leg clash in Seville, labelling the Spaniard as a complete goalkeeper.
But when Ten Hag needed his experienced players to step up in a big away fixture, they stood out for all the wrong reasons. The experienced duo set the tone for the humiliating 3-0 defeat seven minutes after the kick-off at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
It all started with Maguire offering himself as a passing option during build-up. De Gea, who has proven to be a helpful outlet for the opposition during their press on more than one occasion this season because of the lack of confidence he displays with the ball at his feet, yet again threw his teammate in midst of a pressing trap by failing to see three players moving towards the centre-back.
De Gea and Maguire were disastrous in Man Utd defeat
The pace of his pass as well as Maguire’s own poor agility and awareness made things easier for Erik Lamela, who won the possession before Youssef En-Nesyri comfortably slotted the ball past the keeper and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
Maguire should’ve not demanded the pass in the first place, but De Gea had the best view of the surroundings and should’ve noticed Sevilla players swarming his teammate.
Gary Neville had this to say about the situation: “Maguire will get battered but that pass from De Gea I wouldn’t like!”
“You have to question the goalkeeper. Eventually Ten Hag is going to want to play out of the back. David de Gea is a fantastic goalkeeper but not a fantastic footballer,” Paul Scholes noted in his post-match analysis for BT Sport.
A more technically gifted defender, like Lisandro Martinez, could’ve beaten Sevilla’s press. But time and again the Spaniard’s inability in possession has set up his teammates for failure. Early in the season, De Gea also put Christian Eriksen in a tough spot from a similar pass, leading to Brentford’s second goal in the 4-0 defeat.
And as for De Gea’s distribution skills before the third Sevilla goal, the less said about the better.