Keane calls for big improvement

Roy Keane has urged his Manchester United team-mates to make their Champions League experience tell after a dismal defeat in Stuttgart blew Group E wide open.

Schoolboy blunders from some of United’s most established stars cost them dear as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat in the Neckarstadion.

And Keane admitted it is essential that the big names regain their top form before they head to Glasgow later this month facing the prospect of a fourth consecutive away defeat in Europe.

Keane said: “Stuttgart are a young side but looking at the game you would have thought they were the ones with all the European experience.

“We gave two bad goals away and started the second half very sluggishly.

“But we have been down this road before and we are going to have to accept the criticism. There are four games left and hopefully we can put things right.”

Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand were culpable for Stuttgart’s first goal when Neville challenged unnecessarily for a header and Ferdinand’s position in no-man’s land let in Imre Szabics to shoot past Tim Howard.

Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre were ripped apart two minutes later when Kevin Kuranyi burst through to score the Bundesliga leaders’ second.

And things just got worse for Ferdinand as he gave away a silly penalty - which Howard saved – before limping off injured.

Neville was frequently exposed by Stuttgart’s most creative wide man Philipp Lahm down the home left, while John O’Shea endured an unconvincing return to his favoured full-back slot.

After conceding two soft goals United were always going to struggle to salvage something against a team whose only two goals conceded in nine matches this season had both come against Rangers.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s return to form from the penalty spot ought to have sparked a last-ditch bid for an equaliser – but instead it was the visitors’ continuing frailty at the back which allowed the Germans to continue to dictate the game until the whistle.

Boss Sir Alex Ferguson blasted his rearguard as “terrible” – and Keane agreed, admitting a huge improvement was needed ahead of the clash with Rangers.

Suddenly United’s crushing 5-0 win against Panathinaikos counts for very little – because results between two clubs level on points counts for more than the all-encompassing group goal difference.

From being in a position of considerable power, they now find themselves heading to Ibrox in third place in their group.

Keane added: “People always talk about other results but all we need to do is analyse our own game and we weren’t good enough.

“But football is never easy and every now and then in Europe unless you are sharp you are going to come unstuck.

“Rangers was always going to be a difficult game and it would have been nice to go into that game on maximum points.

“We have experienced this in Europe before and now we have to bounce back.”

Ferguson admitted afterwards that his one bright spot from the night was Tim Howard’s late penalty save from Fernando Meira which could yet prove vital in terms of goal difference.

But American Howard – taught the harsh reality of Champions League football in his second appearance following his fairytale 5-0 start against Panathinaikos - was not basking in any glow.

Howard looked poor on crosses and might have been blamed for racing impatiently from his goal in a failed attempt to reach the ball before second goalscorer Kuranyi.

Howard willingly included himself in the criticism of the United back-line’s performance.

He said: “We didn’t do too well at the back. We weren’t as sharp as we could have been and we all need to take the blame for that.

“Now we need to knock Rangers down and get ourselves back up. It was going to be important anyway but it is even more so now.

“We have been playing well and we have been on good form. We can’t let one game throw us off.”

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