Erik ten Hag (left) hits back at Jamie Carragher's 'subjective' opinion; criticism of his tactics
A defiant Erik ten Hag has spoken openly about his future at Manchester United, insisting he does not need Sir Jim Ratcliffe's public support while accusing Jamie Carragher of having plans against him.
United face a potentially season-defining week that could have major implications for Ten Hag's future.
Wednesday's visit to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth round represents United's last real chance of lifting the trophy this season. Defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday could leave them 11 points behind the top four if Aston Villa beat Luton Town 24 hours earlier.
Minority shareholder United Ratcliffe dodged questions about Ten Hag's future during a previous interview. week.
But Ten Hag, who is contracted until the end of next season, rejected any idea that he would be “on trial” until the end of the season.
Asked if that would be the case If the Ineos billionaire said he would remain as coach, Ten Hag said: “I have a contract for three seasons, so I don’t care.”
“I’m only focusing on trial, so I don't care what happens around me.
“I speak a lot with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and also with Sir Dave Brailsford [Ineos sporting director and club board member] and others in this group, so I know what we are talking about and I have a strong belief and I feel that they believe in me.”
Scrutiny of Ten Hag intensified after United's 10th defeat of a difficult campaign last Saturday, when his team's well-known shortcomings were laid bare in Fulham's 2-point win: 1.
United's setup in and out of possession drew sharp criticism from Carragher in an in-depth analysis of Sky Sports' Monday Night Football programme, prompting Ten Hag to suggest the former Liverpool defender had not been objective in his criticism of United since of his arrival in England.
< p lang='en' dir='ltr'>'Manchester United are defending like a team I have never seen before' 🤬
A scathing look at Manchester United's defense from @carra23 and Gael Clichy 👇 pic.twitter.com/XPqKyDgJ6e
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 26, 2024
Carragher, for example, questioned Lisandro Martinez's fitness for the Premier League following his poor display in the 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022; Ten Hag's first game as United manager
«First of all, some analysts are very objective in their comments, give very good advice, some are very subjective — Jamie Carragher is one of them,» Ten said Hag.
“From the very beginning he criticized, but now he wants to prove his point.”
Ten Hag admitted Carragher's criticism of United's first half against Fulham had some validity, which led to him questioning his team's attitude — and Alex Iwobi's Fulham winning goal.
“Probably in the first half hour, yes, he [Carragher] was right,” Ten Hag said. Fulham gave [us] a few surprises in their midfield and then we will have to look for solutions.
“After half an hour we found a solution. The game with the defense, especially on the left flank, did not please me.
“The way we pressed, because they came out, especially in the first half hour, several times on the left flank and that can’t happen, and that has to do with the desire, the spirit, the passion, which in previous weeks has been very good for this team and that’s why we won football matches.
“I know that football players are not robots, sometimes they have bad days. But this cannot be, this is unacceptable, we must do better tomorrow, but in the weeks before that we achieved very good results.”
Carragher questions the role of Mainu.
Carragher highlighted why United tend to lack a compact shape. possession and questioned Ten Hag's instructions to young midfielder Kobby Mine, as well as the space between midfield and defence.
“I want to single out Maina, who has been fantastic since he arrived, but the problem I have is — this is not a criticism of him — what are his instructions before the game?” said Carragher. “It’s straight from the start, he’s not sure whether he should close down the holding midfielder or look at the number 10. He was caught from the start of the game — you have to know your job from the start and that's down to the coaching staff.
«Twenty seconds into the Fulham game it became a problem for Manchester United throughout match. There is space between the back four and midfield this season.»
Cobby Maine's role (left) in the defeat to Fulham «was not obvious. Photo: Getty Images/James Gill
Ratcliffe is yet to make any public assurances regarding Ten Hag's future, but the Dutchman said he does not feel like he is effectively «on trial» for the rest of the season. “No, but I want to win every game,” he said. “I know I’m in the process, I know what I’m doing.
“We are constantly negotiating and talking about the future together. I focus on these two things — developing the team now and in the next game, but also thinking about the future and doing it together.»
Ten Hag insisted that he would not allow himself to be “distracted by any noise around him. “No, I don’t think about it,” he said when asked if the constant focus on his future bothers him.
“It’s not about me. It's about the process and I have to manage it. I don't dwell on my personal circumstances. I'm just focused on the team and I need to find solutions for this team to perform as well as possible. It's all about focusing on it and not being distracted by any noise or anything else.
“This is for you, maybe the fans, to talk about it. If we talk about one defeat and the coach’s position is discussed, then I think after two months without defeats this is quite appropriate.
“I can’t choose anything from this, I can’t take it seriously. I need to focus on the team and its performance again.”
Ten Hag also criticized his United players for mismanaging the game in the 97th minute, when Fulham took a throw-in near their corner flag which ended with Iwobi scoring an impressive winning goal.
“This It can't happen when they have a throw-in in the corner, the way we handle it as a team is not very good,» he said.
Like his tactics, Ten Hag's transfer decisions in » United» were of great importance. also come under scrutiny.
Antony's battle for form
Anthony, United's £85m signing, was left out of the starting line-up against Fulham, while academy graduate Omari Forson made his first start since Rasmus Hoylund's injury kept the Danish striker out for up to three weeks.
Ten Hag believes the assault charges hanging over Anthony, which the player denies, have added to his struggles this season, with the Brazilian winger yet to score or provide an assist in 20 Premier League matches. leagues.
But Ten Hag insists those personal issues don't matter now and is confident Anthony will prove his worth.
Asked if off-field issues were affecting Anthony, the United manager said: «Already no, but it definitely was. He's put it behind him now, but at some point in the season it had an impact on him — you could see in his play, in his attitude, but now he's back.
“I can see in training that he conducts. [this] and he will turn the corner.»
Pochettino responds to Neville's taunt
Ten Hag's comments come as Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp responded to Carragher's Sky Sports colleague Gary Neville's claim that Chelsea were a «billion pound bottle job» during the League Cup final.
Pochettino joked that Neville's comments were based on his words. disappointment in Liverpool's victory given his links with United.
“I haven't spoken to Gary, but I think he said yesterday: 'That was my first emotion.' He's from Manchester United and he wanted Liverpool to lose! It wasn't much,» Pochettino said.
«I think he was upset because he was disappointed with the result. He said I love Pochettino and I was disappointed at that moment and he conveyed his emotions.»
Klopp, meanwhile, defended Chelsea over Neville's claims and said: «This issue about the “spill” is really not my thing.” . I really don't understand it.
“They really wanted it, but they didn't get it, and I saw in the faces of the players and Poch after the game that it was terrible. I don't think anyone deserves to feel like that.»
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