Manchester United vs Bournemouth (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag berated his senior team squad for not being good enough to be consistent
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gave a scathing assessment of his current squad after the humiliating loss against Bournemouth. United lost 3-0 to Bournemouth in the Premier League game at Old Trafford, continuing their shambolic and inconsistent season’s form.
Ten Hag won the Premier League Manager of the Month award on Friday, before the Bournemouth game. Furthermore, the United team defeated the struggling London rivals Chelsea 2-1 during the midweek at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils went into the Bournemouth game with just a three-point gap between them and fourth-place Manchester City. The shockingly less distance from the top-four provided hope to the United fans who have seen United struggle this season.
Bournemouth created history by humbling Manchester United with their first-ever win at Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag’s team crumbled. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Nevertheless, Ten Hag’s team failed to capitalize on the disaster form of their rivals as Bournemouth caused the upset. United dominated 70% of the possession throughout the game but looked toothless in front of the goal. The Cherries restricted the host to just three shots on target despite their numerous waves of attacks.
On the other hand, Bournemouth exploited the spaces left by making the most of their counter-attacks throughout the game. The Red Devils’ unorganized defending created a psychological advantage for the visitors as the Old Trafford started getting empty.
United are currently sixth in the Premier League table but other clubs are yet to play in this game week. The Bournemouth defeat is also their 11th loss in all competitions so far this season.
Speaking to the reporters (h/t BBC), Ten Hag criticized his squad for not being good enough to build consistency. He said:
“As a squad, we are not good enough to be consistent. I’m annoyed, disappointed, definitely. I expected something different. The way we started was no good. It was poor.”
United gave Ten Hag the freedom to sign the players he wanted since he took the managerial post. The Dutchman received criticism for signing the players he managed in his previous stint, players like Antony and Andre Onana.
The critics highlighted that Ten Hag should acquire players based on the quality needed at United. We can only speculate how the United hierarchy or the dressing room will take the criticism of the squad.
Siddharth Juyal
