Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe has given his thoughts on the Reds’ current poor home form as well as explained how behind-closed-doors football could be having an impact.
Tuanzebe, 23, joined United’s youth academy all the way back in 2005 and after climbing the club’s ranks enjoyed a successful loan spell with Aston Villa in 2018.
Now back with the Reds’ first-team and fully fit, Tuanzebe has enjoyed a huge rise in recent times after putting in a performance to remember against Paris-Saint Germain in his side’s Champions League group stage opener.
Coming into the match against Paris-Saint Germain, the young Englishman was recalled to the starting line-up and was tasked with keeping world-class attacking duo Neymar Jnr and Kylian Mbappe quiet, which he did faultlessly.
However, despite United’s European heroics after beating Paris-Saint Germain 2-1 and then RB Leipzig 5-0, their domestic home form has left a lot to be desired.
The Reds have failed to win at home so far this season with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea all taking points away from Old Trafford.
Speaking exclusively to Man United’s official match-day programme United Review, Tuanzebe said: “I couldn’t tell you, to be honest.
“I think we just need to go out and play the game like it’s any other game.
“It’s as surprising to us as it is to the fans and everyone else watching. But we definitely need to correct it.”
The 23-year-old went onto address the absence of football fans as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forces elite sport to be played behind-closed-doors, he said: “Fans are a massive part of the game.
“Now you can hear everything that’s being said, you can communicate easily with your team-mates. You can say that the pressure from the [opposition] fans has kind of faded, which, to some extent, makes things easier [for the away team].
“Coming through the ranks, when you played for the Reserves or the youth teams, there are hardly any fans and you just play every game as if it’s any game.
“The only advantage you have is that you know your pitch better than they do. So, to some extent, you can say it’s easier going away and winning than it is with fans.”
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