Per usual, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blamed the players for other disappointing Champions League performance.
Solskjaer, who has managed to lose 7 of the 11 Champions League matches he has managed in, said that the players must learn from their mistakes in Europe if they to avoid another early Champions League exit.
Tuesday night’s shock defeat in Bern echoed a 2-1 loss to Basaksehir in Istanbul last November that was the beginning of the end of United’s group campaign as they dropped into the Europa League.
United side still have plenty of time to recover in their remaining five games in Group F, but the manager wants better discipline after seeing United punished for Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s red card and Jesse Lingard’s late mistake.
“Discipline is a huge part of the game in football in general not just the Champions League,’ said Solskjaer.
‘A lack of concentration, you make a mistake and you get done. We did that last year, conceding two sloppy counter-attacks against Basaksehir and lost that game in the last seconds today.
‘So we know we’ve given ourselves a more difficult task. We did last year when everyone thought we were through after two games.
‘You need 10 or 12 points: win your home games and one away from home. We’ve lost the opportunity to get three points, but we’ve got two home games next and got to focus on those two.’
On the red card, Solskjaer said:
‘I can understand why he gives it. Aaron is normally a very astute tackler, one of the best in the world, but he takes a touch that goes too far. It’s never a dangerous tackle because he hits him in the front of his foot.
‘We saw with Harvey Elliot that you sometimes can see bad injuries, but it was never reckless or malicious. Maybe inexperience to go through without the ball, but the boy wasn’t going to be injured. And it makes it difference after that with 10 men.’
On Lingard’s error, the United boss added:
‘Jesse wants to play it safe and misplaces the pass. That happens in football. Harry hindsight is a very good player. If Jesse gets that chance again he turns, swivels and boots the ball the other way.’
Solskjaer did not address his coaching mistakes, including taking Fred off with minutes to go and replacing him with Anthony Martial despite the score being 1-1 and United having 10-men.
