Erik ten Hag wanted 100% from Man United vs. Spurs, but he didn’t get it

MANCHESTER, England — Apparently, Manchester United’s gamers did not learn supervisor Erik ten Hag’s programme notes earlier than their depressing 3-0 defeat at residence to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

“I should be clear,” wrote the Dutchman. “Solely 100% will do.”

It was a requirement made in response to Christian Eriksen saying after the 1-1 draw with FC Twente on Wednesday that their opponents “wished it extra.” But when Ten Hag hoped to elicit a response from his gamers then it by no means materialised. 100%? He barely bought half that.

United have been worse towards Tottenham than they have been towards Twente. A lot worse.

An informal have a look at the scoreline would possibly recommend the sport hinged on Bruno Fernandes’ pink card simply earlier than half-time. That, although, would ignore that Tottenham have been by far the higher workforce for the 42 minutes that it remained 11 vs. 11. Certainly, at instances it felt like Tottenham had 12 males whereas the one United participant who turned up in any respect was goalkeeper André Onana.

Spurs have been already 1-0 up due to Brennan Johnson’s early objective inside three minutes by the point Fernandes was despatched off. The one shock was that it remained that manner till half-time. Ange Postecoglou spent a lot of the first half on the touchline along with his arms on his head as probability after probability went begging. He did not want to fret. Most of United’s gamers appeared decided to provide the form of show that will get managers the sack.

Ten Hag likes to level to final season’s FA Cup closing win over Manchester Metropolis as proof of what he can get out of his workforce. However they’ve additionally been able to days like this all through his time in cost. In a packed discipline of disastrous performances, this was one of many worst.

“What I noticed within the first half-hour is under the extent of what we are able to count on from a Manchester United workforce,” Ten Hag stated afterward. “Even once you concede so early it is best to keep calm and simply stick collectively and persist with the plan. You then would have a foothold within the recreation however we did not have this.”

United’s collective checklist of offences was so lengthy that it is troublesome to know the place to start out: Gamers in pink gave the ball away recurrently, misplaced duels all around the pitch, and did not monitor runners.

Inside three minutes, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho let Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven pinch the ball unopposed earlier than the centre-back sprinted over half the size of the pitch within the straight line like a dad who had joined a kids’s recreation.

In line with the choice to let Van de Ven run like Forrest Gump unchecked, United additionally determined Johnson did not have to be marked contained in the six-yard field and he tapped in on the again submit. A marauding run via United’s tender centre and a comparatively easy end, it was nearly a carbon copy of the objective Twente scored 4 days earlier.

If Ten Hag’s prematch rallying cry did not act as a wake-up name, neither did the Spurs objective. Onana made saves from James Maddison and Timo Werner. In between, Johnson hit the submit. Then it went from dangerous to worse.

Fernandes slipped as he tried to shut down Maddison and flung out a leg. It ended up trying excessive and reckless and VAR Peter Bankes caught with Chris Kavanagh’s on-field choice to point out a straight pink card. To compound the issue, Kobbie Mainoo limped off with an damage quickly after.

Ten Hag’s response was to throw on defensive midfielder Casemiro at half-time, however there was one other setback barely two minutes after the restart. The Brazil worldwide misplaced a 50-50 problem on the midway line, Lisandro Martínez tried a wild swipe, and seconds later Dejan Kulusevski had the ball within the internet to make it 2-0.

United briefly started to start out taking part in, nevertheless it was too late and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the sport was over. Casemiro misplaced Pape Sarr from a nook and his flick-on was met by Dominic Solanke — once more fully unmarked — to attain from beneath the crossbar within the 77th minute.

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Spurs have by no means had it really easy away from residence. They turned up having recorded simply three away league victories since November 2023 and ended the afternoon dancing in entrance of their followers within the Manchester rain. Postecoglou’s postmatch evaluation highlighted every thing United weren’t.

“We confirmed actual perception and conviction in our soccer,” he stated. “Aggressive in every thing; with the ball, with out the ball.”

With the rating at 3-0 and greater than quarter-hour to play, the exodus of United followers started. It was a miracle they lasted so lengthy. After such a depressing defeat, the plain query is how lengthy Ten Hag will final.

There was some enchancment this season, nevertheless it’s now simply three wins from eight to start out the marketing campaign. This week holds powerful journeys to FC Porto and Aston Villa earlier than the worldwide break and two extra performances like this one will crank up the stress even additional.

A lot of the goodwill that Ten Hag has constructed up with followers after successful two trophies is quickly eroding.

There have been scattered boos at full-time, however no present of full mutiny as Ten Hag disappeared down the tunnel. As his new bosses — Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox — sat stoney-faced within the administrators’ field, there is a sense that the supervisor’s future is on a knife-edge. For now, Ten Hag is battling on.

“We made the choice from a transparent assessment [in the summer] what we’ve to enhance and the way we wish to assemble a squad however we knew it would take a while,” he stated. “We’d like a while. We’re all on one web page or in a single boat collectively. The possession, the employees and the gamers as nicely. I haven’t got a priority.

“There may be all the time a brand new recreation, it is going to be a brand new day and additionally it is apparent it’s important to be taught as a workforce.”