Erik ten Hag is facing criticism from the Netherlands too after the embattled Manchester United boss seemingly skipped a post-match interview following the Carabao Cup hammering by Newcastle.
It’s easy to forget that Manchester United lost only twice at Old Trafford in the entirety of 2022/23. Especially with Newcastle becoming the fifth different club this season already to triumph at the so-called ‘Theatre of Dreams’, a moniker that will resonate more with visiting opposition than it will with their hapless hosts these days.
Newcastle cruised past Erik ten Hag’s side on Wednesday night. A second successive 3-0 loss on home soil tearing the Carabao crown off United’s head.
The former Ajax boss was nowhere to be seen at a scheduled, post-match interview with Dutch broadcaster ViaPlay, meanwhile, his absence doing little to boost Ten Hag’s popularity during the most tumultuous period in his managerial career.
Erik ten Hag under pressure
“I’m a little surprised,” muses reporter Cedric van der Gun. “The next time he is there, I would be curious to hear his explanation.”
“I haven’t heard anything like that before,” add presenter Koen Weijland, pointing out that former United icon Jaap Stam had travelled all the way to Manchester before seemingly being snubbed by the Red Devils boss.
“It seems to me that, as a club, you are not happy.”
This is now officially Manchester United’s worst start to a season since 1962. A devastating tally of eight defeats in 15 games summing up a remarkable collapse from a team who, as recently as the spring, looked capable of going toe-to-toe with almost any club on planet earth, defeating Manchester City, Barcelona and then midweek opponents Newcastle within a few short weeks while snapping a six-year trophy drought.
There was, per the Manchester Evening News, no pre-match press conference either ahead of Newcastle’s trip to Lancashire.
Manchester United hammered by Newcastle
“I am a fighter,” Ten Hag tells The Guardian, baring his teeth with his back against the wall. “And I know it is not always going to go up and we have a lot of setbacks this season. But also you have to deal with it, and that is never an excuse.
“You have to get results. Sunday (and against Newcastle) tonight was far from that. So we have to do things right at a certain level, the minimum level to win games.
“I am confident I can do it. At all my clubs, I have done it and also last year here I did it as well. But, at this moment, we are in a bad place. I take responsibility for it.
“I see it as a challenge. I’m a fighter, and I am in that fight and I have to make sure that I share the responsibility with my players and that we stick together and fight together, and get better results.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/yjhtNuY