Manchester United need to develop a stronger mentality and learn to recover from setbacks during matches. This is the diagnosis Erik TenhagManchester United manager, shared with the English media today after Thursday’s disaster against Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the Europa League (3-0.
The ‘red devils’ have a chance bounced back from their FA Cup semi-final exit against Brighton at Wembley on Sunday.
Ten Hag believes United have the ability to respond to setbacks throughout the season, but struggle to find ways to react in games when games don’t go according to plan.
“We can’t deny it, it’s a mental thing, definitely. We have to learn to move forward, move on,” Ten Hag said on the eve of the cup semifinal. “The best this team can do is recover between games, the least it can do is recover during the game against a failure. That’s what we have to improve on.”
The captain, an example
Harry Maguire is back in the eye of the storm for the mistake that led to Sevilla’s first goal, but Ten Hag once again came to his defense and considered him a key player in his team. “He has an important role, he is the captain, he leads, he talks to the coach, he motivates the team, he is an example”, assured the Dutch coach.
Maguire was not the only player criticized after the defeat in Sánchez-Pizjuán and in this sense he said that “we always play for our future as professional players. Every match is a test, every season is a test and you have to earn the right to wear the jersey. It’s great to be part of Manchester United, but the other side of the coin is you have to show it every game.”
Summer cleaning?
There are rumors that there will be changes to United’s squad in the summer, but Ten Hag limited himself by saying he was only focused on the current season.
“I’m thinking about improving this team and these players, that’s my job with the coaching staff and the players. We have all our focus on this process and not on other processes that distract you,” argued Ten Hag.
And he added: “I know that this group of players can do better, they have shown it many times this season. We have made a lot of progress during the season, but we have steps to go ahead. We have a lot of games to play and opportunities to prove.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
