Manchester United lost miserably to Tottenham 0-3 in terms of both results and spirit. Time to sack Erik ten Hag for the future of the Red Devils.
Manchester United still can’t raise their heads. Heads bowed in the face of constant booing from fans at the Theatre of Dreams.
After disappointing draws against Crystal Palace (Premier League) and Twente (Europa League), Erik ten Hag’s army fell into a sluggish state of play when hosting Tottenham.
There was no leader in the Manchester United squad, no personality in the way of fighting, combined with a lackluster playing style.
Ange Postecoglou’s team took advantage of the limitations shown by the Old Trafford team to perform an overwhelming style of play and win resoundingly.
Tottenham have not had a great start to the season, but the London team is waking up with a series of 4 consecutive victories on all fronts, with 2 of them in the Premier League.
A beautiful victory right at Old Trafford is the best way for Postecoglou and his team to assert themselves. Spurs are showing qualities that MU lacks: desire, cohesion and clear playing style.
Not long after the ball started, experts could predict the scenario of Super Sunday at Old Trafford. Spurs entered the game much more excitingly.
Right in the 3rd minute – exactly 155 seconds – center-back Van de Ven cut Marcus Rashford’s ball on the home field and then broke away like an F1 car with DRS (drag reduction system) activated. He left all opponents behind and then assisted Brennan Johnson to finish.
There was no chance for Andre Onana, when Johnson was in a very comfortable position. The 23-year-old Welshman scored his fourth consecutive goal for Spurs (in all competitions).
In addition to Rashford losing the ball, many of the home team’s players were at fault for the first goal. New signing Manuel Ugarte was like an old car “breathing smoke” in front of the F1 supercar Van de Ven. De Ligt did not have enough speed to stop his compatriot from entering the penalty area, while Diogo Dalot “strolled” and did not mark Johnson.
The next scenario was a repetition of the movies that Manchester United fans have been forced to watch over and over again in recent years: the Red Devils did not react, or reacted superficially.
The goalpost saved Manchester United from another goal from Johnson’s dangerous shot, or goalkeeper Onana stopped Timo Werner in a one-on-one situation.
It can be said that the speed in Tottenham’s attacks made Manchester United really overwhelmed. Outside the field, Ten Hag did not know how to control the opponent.
In the first 40 minutes, only Onana stood out for the home side. The Cameroonian goalkeeper, in addition to saving the goal, also had a long ball for Rashford to face Vicario but failed to finish.
Amid the disappointments, the nightmare at Old Trafford was pushed to its peak when Bruno Fernandes was sent off just minutes before the end of the first half.
An inexcusable act, when the Premier League put Bruno Fernandes’ situations in dangerous fouls. This is an act of protecting the player, when the schedule is at maximum saturation but is increasing.
Boos rang out as the Manchester United captain went into the tunnel. A few minutes later, when the first half ended, his teammates moved into the dressing room and suffered the same fate.
When the second half started for 2 minutes, the gap was doubled by Tottenham. Johnson beat Lisandro Martinez from midfield and raced into the box to make a pass, the ball hit De Ligt, creating an opportunity for Kulusevski to jump high and finish in a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-style.
A few changes made by Ten Hag helped Manchester United put pressure on Vicario’s goal, but not enough to score.
On the other side, in a corner kick situation where Manchester United players were not defending strongly, Solanke comfortably kicked the rebound right in front of the goal line after Pape Sarr’s header.
“I don’t think about it,” Ten Hag declared that he was not worried when asked about the risk of being fired. He emphasized what any MU fan has known by heart for the past few years: “we need time”.
Ten Hag did not want to resign, because of his salary of 9 million pounds. Therefore, Manchester United officials need to be decisive in the decision to fire for the good of the club.
The players’ frustration with Ten Hag’s management, such as the red card Bruno Fernandes received, has risen to a very high level.
Interview with Ten Hag after the match
Ten Hag: “It’s a bad start of the game. Tottenham were dominant, we couldn’t get the right press and we also made many mistakes in possession.”
“But we could have come back into the game and I think the red card changed the game.”
On the first half performance:
“It was no good. It’s not possible that a player from the back can dribble through the whole team and then bring a cross in. We then lost a little bit of confidence and we were also poor in possession. We can do better there and all the players know this.”
On Bruno’s red card:
“I don’t think it’s a red card.”
“From that moment on we were stressed on the ball. We could not find the triangles or the switches, we had some good moments, but from that moment we could not get a foothold. And we can do better than that. Even after such a mistake from us we should stay calm.”
“From that moment on we were stressed on the ball. We could not find the triangles or the switches, we had some good moments, but from that moment we could not get a foothold. And we can do better than that. Even after such a mistake from us we should stay calm.”
“We had chances and our moments to get back in the game, with Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho when we still had 11 players and then after the red card too we had moments. We had our chances before half-time and in the second half with 10 men we had chances as well. It definitely had an impact on the game. I don’t think it was a red card.”
“First we have to deal with this and show resilience. This is not good enough. We have to accept this and get better. Focus on the next game and do things better than we did today.”
“A very bad start from us.”
“The red card changed everything as it was still 1-0 but we are down to 10 and it makes it difficult. I don’t think it is a red card, but the decision is made.”
On having belief:
“There is always a new day and we will learn from it – my players are strong characters and we will bounce back. We have to learn from this and quickly.”
On his job:
“No I am not thinking about this. We all made this decision to stay together in summer, as ownership group, leadership group. Also we made the decision, after a clear review, what we have to improve as an organisation + how to construct a squad. All decisions made in togetherness, also knowing it would take some time. We are all there on one page, one boat, the ownership, the leadership group, the staff, players too.”
Premier League table
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