Why did Onana, who is invincible in Inter Milan, completely "sagging" after arriving at Manchester United?

The contrast between Onana's performance at Inter Milan and Manchester United is the result of the combined effect of tactical adaptation, team ecology and league characteristics. The Cameroonian goalkeeper showed his calmness and dominance at Meacha Stadium, but he was repeatedly trapped in the quagmire of mistakes at Old Trafford, with multiple deep logic hidden behind it.

Inter Milan's tactical system has set up a stage for Onana to play. The Nerazzurri of Conte and Inzaghi's era always adhered to the defensive structure with three central defenders as the core, and the wingbacks of the wingbacks and the horizontal replacements of the central defenders form a tight protective net. Under this system, Onana's large-scale attack can not only effectively resolve the opponent's cross from the wing without worrying about leaving room behind. His data per game of 3.1 successful attacks per game in 2022-23 is based on his teammates' precise control over the second landing point. At the same time, Inter Milan's high-pressure pressing compressed the opponent's offensive space, making Onana's direct shots mostly come from outside the penalty area, which just fits his technical characteristics of saving long shots.

More importantly, Inter Milan has a clear positioning of the goalkeeper's goalkeeper's goalkeeper's goalkeeper's goalkeeper's goalkeeper's goalkeeper. Barrera and Cialhanolu in the team's midfielders have strong ability to respond. Onana does not need to take the risk of trying to transfer long passes, and can complete the connection from defense to offense when they cooperate with their short passes. This low-risk ball-out mode allows his technical shortcomings to be hidden, while his accurate hand throwing and quick side-dividing ability are fully activated, becoming an important starting point for the team to counterattack.

In contrast, Manchester United's chaotic tactical system put Onana in a dilemma. The high-post pressing promoted by Tenghach requires the goalkeeper to assume the role of "scavenger", but the Manchester United defender's awareness of assisting defense and filling speed are far less than Inter Milan. Although the central defender partners Lisandro and Varane have excellent personal abilities, they lack the experience of horizontal coverage under the three central defenders system. They often cannot fill the gap in the penalty area in time after Onana attacks. In the 2023-24 season, Manchester United conceded as many as 8 goals due to goalkeeper's mistakes, which is a direct reflection of this system fault.

Manchester United's midfield construction also exacerbates Onana's dilemma. The team's midfield lacks a stable contact point, and attackers such as B Fee and Rashford prefer to pull forward rather than retrace the ball, forcing Onana to frequently try long passes and transfers. But his long pass accuracy is not top-notch (success rate is only 54%), and the fast-paced offense and defense conversion of the Premier League compresses decision-making time, and the error rate naturally soars. In addition, Manchester United's defense line's return speed is slow. Once the opponent breaks through the high-level defense line through long passes, Onana often needs to face a one-on-one situation, and his speed and reaction ability to go down the ground seem particularly difficult in front of the top Premier League strikers. The difference in league styles further amplifies this contrast. Serie A focuses on tactical discipline and rhythm control, with an average running distance of nearly 8 kilometers less than that of the Premier League, giving goalkeepers more time to make decisions and adjust; while the Premier League's high-intensity confrontation and fast-paced offense and defense have higher requirements for goalkeepers' immediate response and physical confrontation ability. Onana's technical characteristics are more suitable for Serie A's "slow variable" confrontation. In the Premier League's "fast variable" environment, the defects in technical details are infinitely magnified.

Psychological pressure cannot be ignored. As a Premier League giant, Manchester United will be infinitely focused on every mistake by the media and fans, and this public opinion pressure is far beyond Inter Milan. Onana's later performance at Manchester United clearly revealed hesitation and impatience. The choice of attacking timing became increasingly conservative, which led to more passive concealment and formed a vicious cycle.

From Mayach to Old Trafford, Onana's ups and downs confirm the importance of "system adaptation" in modern football. The success of a goalkeeper is never an isolated display of personal abilities, but the result of tactical design, teammate support and the league environment. Lease on Trabzon Sports may allow him to find a balance in the relatively relaxed Tumen Super League, but if he wants to truly get out of the predicament, he still needs to find a tactical soil that can deeply match his own technical characteristics.