Erik ten Hag looked at Newcastle United with jealousy on Sunday after the Magpies trumped Manchester United on all fronts (2-0). Still, the Dutch manager is not worried yet, “I believe in the team.”
Ten Hag knows what it lacked: “I hate having to say it”
Goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson pushed Newcastle over Man United in the Premier League. Ten Hag saw an opponent who was more motivated than his own team. “They absolutely wanted to win those duels,” said the Dutch manager at Viaplay. “We were overrun a number of times, especially in midfield. In the end they created so many chances and made one.”
Ten Hag repeated those words at Sky Sports: “I hate to say it. But they were better and showed the will to win. And so they won. Especially because of their determination and passion. It wasn’t good enough for us. We gave away too many chances. You have to be hungry and want to give everything. I don’t want to focus on players, it was a team effort.”
Strong criticism from Neville to Ten Hag after ‘mess’ at United
Gary Neville was critical of manager Erik ten Hag’s choices after Manchester United’s defeat at Newcastle United. The Mancunians could not make a fist at St. James’ Park on Sunday evening.
Joe Willock and Callum Wilson found it just ahead of Newcastle, meaning The Magpies have taken over third place in the Premier League from United. Wout Weghorst had to pay for it in the English media afterwards and Ten Hag was not left out of harm’s way either.
Neville points out that there is still a lot of work to be done at his former employer despite winning the League Cup, fourth place in the Premier League and the possibility of winning the FA Cup and the Europa League. “Looking at the long term, they shouldn’t be fooling anyone when it comes to where the club is and where it needs to go,” Neville told Sky Sports.
Neville was also disturbed by an intervention by Ten Hag during the match: the Dutchman took Lisandro Martínez and Raphaël Varane to the side in the final phase and started playing with three defenders. He added, “After those substitutions, exactly what I expected happened: it became a mess. If you start playing with one central defender and two wingbacks, it’s completely open.”
“It’s up to Ten Hag to make sure United continue to progress, but there are worrying signs when you look at the top games outside Old Trafford. Then they just let it go. United was not in this game with Newcastle for a moment. They lost more than rightfully,” said the former United captain.
BBC analyst and Newcastle United icon Alan Shearer couldn’t believe his luck after his former employer’s victory. “It could or should have been 7-0. I’m so excited,” Shearer wrote on Twitter.
