Erik Ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has stated that for his team to have a strong season finale, they must be consistent and take the initiative.
On Saturday night, the Red Devils lost 2-1 against Nottingham Forest. Even though Marcus Rashford’s equalizer raised hopes for a winning outcome to close out the year, the game came down to a crucial moment when Matt Turner stopped Christian Eriksen at one end and Morgan Gibbs-White completed a breakaway raid to give the home team the victory and pull them out of the relegation zone.
“The ranking doesn’t lie. We have to make our performances consistent so we have to do better and have to invest from the first minute. But I know the reasons and it makes no sense to get frustrated. I have to work on my team and that is what we are doing day by day.” a disappointed said in a post-match interview
The Dutchman accused his players of lacking energy and motivation during an awful first-half display in which they mustered just one shot.
“It’s disappointing. The loss was unnecessary. We lost it in the first half. We weren’t energised enough or invested enough,” Ten Hag said.
“We should invest more in the first half. In the second we were better. In the first half, we should have created some moments and we didn’t.
“We know these results are below our standards The players are not happy with this but we have to do better.”
For the first time since 1989–90, United has dropped nine of its first 20 league games, putting them nine points outside of the top four.
Seventh-place United has now suffered 14 losses in all competitions this season; their previous record with more losses going into the new year was 1930–31.
They had 21 losses overall by the end of 2023—a number they had only three times in their distinguished history—across all competitions.
‘So inconsistent’
Asked to explain United’s disastrous form, Ten Hag blamed the injuries that have denied him key players at various points in the campaign.
“The injuries. Also, some issues but mainly the injuries hold us back in the process. In January we have a lot of players returning so then our levels can be higher,” he said.
“We had to change again so every time we have to swap our team. That doesn’t help or support the routines of the team and it explains why you are so inconsistent.
“We had nine different partnerships in the back. It doesn’t matter as well, the fans don’t want to hear this, they want to see us winning and that is what we have to serve them.”
In front of Dave Brailsford, the head of sport for the team’s new backers INEOS, United suffered its first loss to Forest since 1994.
Jim Ratcliffe, the head of INEOS, is sat next to Brailsford at the City Ground, who was once United’s manager.
Ratcliffe, a British millionaire, will oversee United’s football operations after acquiring 25% of the team on Christmas Eve from the club’s unpopular owners, the Glazers.
When asked what Brailsford would learn from United’s appalling performance, Ten Hag brought up the absence of Rasmus Hojlund, the injured striker who had scored the game-winning goal against Aston Villa in the previous encounter.
“Definitely he will see we have our problems. You want to build on the last result but we had to change our striker,” Ten Hag said.
Yet to speak to Ratcliffe and his group, Ten Hag is facing a fight to avoid the sack.
But the former Ajax boss remains adamant he can turn the tide at a club drifting dangerously off-course.
“It will happen. No doubt about that,” he said.
“We will work together to set high targets of course for achievements and structures. We will talk about that.”