“We can see you sneaking out” when their third and final goal arrived after 60 minutes; this was aimed at the Manchester United supporters who were attempting to escape Old Trafford as soon as possible in order to spare themselves more humiliation. Who was to blame for them? Although Manchester United has suffered a number of devastating losses this season, this one was up there with the worst. Newcastle eliminated Ten Hag’s team from the Carabao Cup after they lost their second consecutive home game to Manchester City four days prior.
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33 Losing to Manchester City,
generally regarded as the greatest club team in the world, is hardly a terrible thing, but Eddie Howe’s Newcastle team was bereft of regulars as he rested important players before games against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. Howe made eight changes, but Manchester United are playing so poorly that he could have chosen an eleven from the visiting fans who went out to sing and dance that evening and still won handily.
Ten Hag remarked subsequently,
“It is below the standards everyone expects from Manchester United.” “It is by no means adequate. “We must make the correction. I accept accountability for it. This is my squad, and it’s not doing well. I am accountable, but I must share it with my players. We are not a good enough team, and there is no room for justifications of any kind. If we don’t improve and elevate our game, you won’t see the appropriate levels and performances. Everyone must accept accountability for their own performance, and we must work together to complete the task.”
Although Ten Hag’s reign has collapsed just six months after the conclusion of a fruitful first season as manager, club executives are keen to keep him on board. Out of their 15 games in all competitions, Manchester United have lost eight of them, five of them at home. This season, in 10 games played at Old Trafford, they have given up the lead six times and scored 16 goals overall. They have conceded 26 goals at an average of 1.7 per game throughout all competitions, both at home and away. If they could consistently score, such leakiness in front of their own goal wouldn’t matter as much, but they can’t.
Although Ten Hag’s first-choice defense has been taken away from him due to a protracted injury list, this situation is dire by any standard. Man United is almost to the point where they are playing for pride after losing the Carabao Cup, doing poorly in their Champions League group, and already trailing the league leaders in the Premier League. However, given their previous performance against Newcastle, which lacked direction and excitement, perhaps even that is asking too much. Manchester United was a day late for a Halloween horror show, if that was their intention. Ten Hag said, “We are in a bad place right now.”
“It is a rational process, and there are questions,
but I am confident. I understand it when the results are not there. I accept accountability for it. We have had a lot of setbacks this season, but you have to cope with it. I am a warrior, and I know it’s not always going up. As I’ve mentioned previously, even in the face of obstacles, you still need to produce outcomes. Our performance against Manchester City on Sunday and tonight was far from that, so in order to win games, we must perform at a particular level, or the bare minimum.
” There is a claim that Manchester United have been losing since defeating Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final in February, despite their exceptionally bad start to the season. United had a victory percentage of 72.5% going into and including their first trophy lift in six years at Wembley. It fell to 54% since then, and this season it has plummeted to 50%. Irrespective of the club’s disapproval, Ten Hag is defending his position. Manchester United has lost five of its first ten home games of the season for the first time in 93 years, and they have lost consecutive home games by three goals or more for the first time since October 1962.
Over the course of the match against Newcastle,
the Dutch manager moved from being the next Premier League manager to be terminated with an 8-1 record to becoming the second-most popular pick among bookmakers. This was no coincidence. Even though it won’t last forever, the few Manchester United supporters who stuck around to the very end still support him.
Newcastle’s insult of “getting sacked in the morning” may not concern him just yet, but he has a limited amount of time to make a lasting impression.