Man United’s meek exit from Europe comes as no surprise

MANCHESTER, England — It's been a slow demise for Manchester United in the Champions League, but that doesn't make Tuesday's exit any less embarrassing.

What started with a defeat against Bayern Munich in September ended with another defeat against the Bundesliga champions, this time 1-0 in Manchester in December. However, the damage was not done at Old Trafford on Tuesday but during the defeats against Galatasaray in October and against FC Copenhagen in November.

Ultimately, a team that concedes 15 goals in six group stage matches does not deserve to qualify. Manchester United aren't part of Europe's elite and haven't been for a while. With all due respect to Copenhagen and Galatasaray, this was not a group of deaths, and yet United were still killed, and overall.

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Manchester United like to consider themselves alongside Bayern and Real Madrid, but Bayern have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League every year since 2008-09. Real Madrid's history goes back even further, to 1997-98. United, meanwhile, have been eliminated in the group stage four times in their last nine attempts and have not progressed past the quarter-finals in more than a decade.

To make matters worse, Copenhagen's 1-0 victory over Galatasaray in Denmark means United even missed the Europa League safety net and, after finishing last in Group A, are out of Europe completely before Christmas.

Afterward, United boss Erik ten Hag tried to draw some positives but, in reality, there are none.

“There is still a lot to play for, and now we can of course focus on the Premier League,” Ten Hag said. “That's the level we want to play at, the Champions League, so we have to make every effort to be in the top four and get back to the Champions League next year. Then of course we have the FA Cup .So there's so much to play for.

“The fact is we don't have enough points. We are disappointed as a group. As a coach I am disappointed. We should have done better.”

In the past, Bayern Munich under the lights would have been a recipe for a famous European night at Old Trafford, but this one was lackluster at best. Despite having to win, United managed just one shot on target and created just one clear chance for Bruno Fernandes, which he blasted over the bar.

Watching Bayern, it was tempting to think they are the team United wish they were: confident enough to fade out at the back in tight spaces with Manuel Neuer and Kim Min-Jae; flying full-backs like Alphonso Davies; the rhythm and creativity of Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman; and a world-class center forward in Harry Kane.

Bayern, beaten 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, were not at their best, and manager Thomas Tuchel was often seen spinning on the touchline in frustration; but they always kept United at arm's length, and then some. When the German team's goal came – and it always looked likely – it was on a wonderful pass from Kane, a flick from the outside of his boot, and a calm finish from Coman.

Of course, that decision involved Kane, the player most of the 76,000 home fans at Old Trafford thought their club should have signed this summer.

“Harry always makes the difference, 100 percent,” Tuchel said. “With his personality, his calm, his quality, the team knows that anything can happen at any time with Harry. He is one of the best leaders in the group.”

These days, hardly a United match goes by without a sad record being broken, and this was no different: never before had an English team conceded so many goals (15) in the Champions League. Champions League groups. Everywhere you look there are damning statistics. United's seventh home defeat means they have now lost more games this season (12) than they have won (11), while equaling the number of defeats in four months that Ten Hag suffered at total during his first season at the helm.

After the positive 3-0 win against Everton at the end of November, it is now one win in five games, and the next trip is against Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. It is likely that Ten Hag will have to travel to Anfield – where his side were humiliated 7-0 last season – without Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, who both suffered muscle injuries against Bayern.

“We are losing players and players who are very decisive for our game, who can make the difference,” said Ten Hag, “and in many matches this has also been the case during this campaign.”

“We didn't always have the players available that we wanted to play for. That's certainly part of it. Now I'll give you a reason, but I don't see it as an excuse, because even if we don't all agree , we still have to win because they are targets that belong to Manchester United.”

As time passed and Ten Hag's side exited the Champions League with a whimper, Bayern fans in the Old Trafford corner spotted the first supporters heading home and waved them off. singing “Auf Wiedersehen”..“

Minutes later, the final whistle blew and United, surrounded by boos from the remaining supporters, officially said goodbye to Europe for another season. Once among the best on the continent, they face a long road back.