Manchester United manager Erig Ten Hag has left Manchester United this afternoon and his replacement has been named
Reversing his earlier criticism of Manchester United’s performance against Coventry, Erik ten Hag now acknowledges that his team “fell below the standards” he expected.
In the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, United defeated Coventry 4-2 on penalties after a stunning 3-3 draw in which they gave up a 3-0 lead. After taking advantage of a weak defense, the Championship team forced extra time and almost missed winning it in the 121st minute when Victor Torp’s goal was disallowed for offside.
Ten Hag dismissed the criticism directed at his players and was happy that his club had secured a spot in the FA Cup final for the second year in a row despite the uneven performance. When asked whether the performance had been humiliating, he launched into an enraged tirade, calling some of the criticism “a shame.”
However, he adopted a completely different tack when he wrote in the United program for tonight’s home match versus Sheffield United. “Obviously, the way we won was not up to the standards we set for ourselves, but that’s what counts most in football,” he wrote. “You really cannot allow your opponent to into the game while you are in that situation.”
According to the new perspective, Ten Hag is eager to maintain the support of the fans despite rumors about his future with the team. Avram Glazer and Sir Jim Ratcliffe saw United barely defeat Coventry at Wembley, and the INEOS CEO has been busy appointing new personnel to take on important roles at the team.
Earlier in the week, when asked whether he understood the backlash over the Coventry performance, Ten Hag had shown his furious side. Not at all. Without a doubt not,” he fired back. “You earned enough, and someone asked whether it was humiliating. No, your response was humiliating.
It’s the remarks. The essence of elite football is achievement; we earned our spot in the final via our performance in both this match and the others. We had horrible luck when it went 3-2 and then 3-3, and we lost control for twenty minutes at that time. Clearly, in the end, we were really fortunate. We got it to the final, which is a tremendous accomplishment, and the penalties were excellent. It’s amazing to have twice in two years. Four cup finals in four years for me as a manager. The remarks are shameful.
