BREAKING NEWS: coming from Fabrizio Romano, Erik ten hag criticised man united’s star player, who was far from his best at Old Trafford for his lacklustre performance in the team’s heartbreaking draw to Liverpool. Ten hag described the player’s muted performance as dismal and uninspired. The player’s performance was deemed unsatisfactory by Erik ten hag for Manchester United. “Kloop is ‘unimpressed’ with man united’s ‘sluggish’ performance during the’shocking’ draw to Liverpool”.
After the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at home, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag expressed his disappointment over squandering three consecutive winning positions in the Premier League over the past seven days. On Sunday (April 7), the Red Devils were unable to secure victory against their arch-rivals, failing to maintain a lead for the third consecutive league game, following a 1-1 draw with Brentford and a 4-3 defeat to Chelsea midweek.
Jurgen Klopp’s side took the lead in the 23rd minute through Luis Diaz. United captain Bruno Fernandes leveled the score with a fine equalizer after halftime, equalizing against the run of play. Midway through the first half, Kobbie Mainoo’s sensational curler put the Red Devils ahead. However, Mohamed Salah converted a penalty for Liverpool six minutes from time, resulting in a thrilling four-goal draw. Reflecting on the triple setback, Ten Hag expressed his disappointment, stating, “On one side, I am disappointed that we have dropped seven points in one week after being in winning positions, but we have to blame ourselves for making stupid mistakes. There are also some poor decisions, and not every time the same player. Still, we have to improve, and the sooner, the better. On the other side, I am very proud. You see how we are improving, and the potential of this squad is amazing – I am proud.”
Ten Hag further emphasized, “In decisive areas, we were losing battles, especially with young players who were not confident to win them (duels). We encouraged them in the second half to do better, and they stepped up.” United currently occupies sixth place in the standings with 49 points from 31 games, trailing the leading duo of Arsenal and Liverpool by 22 points.
Looking ahead, Manchester United finds themselves amidst a highly disappointing season. With a top-two finish now out of reach, Ten Hag’s team is striving to secure a top-four position and return to the UEFA Champions League. Trailing fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by 11 points, United aims to end a three-game winless league streak when they face Bournemouth on Saturday (April 13). Earlier in the season, the Red Devils exited Europe after finishing a dismal fourth in their Champions League group. Although their EFL Cup title defense ended prematurely, they are into the FA Cup semifinals, where they will face Championship side Coventry City on April 21.
