Erik ten Hag unhappy after “unacceptable” Manchester United performance against Cadiz in friendly
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is unhappy with the team’s performance in their loss to Cadiz in the first friendly match in Spain. The Dutch manager brandished the Red Devils’ display as “unacceptable”.
The Old Trafford side took on the La Liga outfit on Wednesday (7 December) at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla. Unfortunately, we were beaten 4-2 by the Spanish club.
Speaking after the game to MUTV (h/t Express), Ten Hag expressed his dissatisfaction with United’s players. The Dutch manager was especially left disgusted with the team’s effort in the first 15 minutes.
“It’s quite clear, we were not awake – still sleeping in the first 15 minutes. They are a threat in transition. We have seen, second goal can’t happen. You are not awake… but especially in the midfield we can’t run off. It’s not possible, unacceptable.”
Cadiz found the back of the net twice before the quarter-hour mark against the Red Devils. The Pirates scored their first goal from a set piece-routine. The second goal came from a simple cross in the box.
Anthony Martial scored a penalty in the 21st minute to halve the deficit. Kobbie Mainoo came on as a second-half substitute and immediately levelled the scoring after the break.
Unfortunately, Cadiz managed to take the lead once again just before the hour mark through Ruben Sobrino. Then, the Pirates got their two-goal lead back in the 77th minute.
Ten Hag gave a lot of youngsters a chance to feature for United against the Spanish opposition. Zidane Iqbal, who impressed many during pre-season, put in a decent display once again. Alejandro Garnacho also looked lively.
Martin Dubravka, who has not played much for the Red Devils in the current campaign, was the only player to feature the full 90 minutes. However, there was little the Slovakia international could have done about the goals.
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The Old Trafford side will now face Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarín on Saturday (10 December). Hopefully, the team will put in a more encouraging performance in Seville.
