Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has hit out at Jamie Carragher’s analysis of his side’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday. Speaking to the media on Tuesday morning, the former Ajax boss claimed Carragher’s analysis was “subjective” and suggested it did not contain good advice, despite conceding that the Sky Sports pundit was correct to identify that Fulham had surprised United in their midfield set up.
‘Jamie Carragher is One of Them’: Erik ten Hag Claps Back At Sky Analysis
Manchester United Performance vs Fulham Was ‘Unacceptable’
The United boss was clearly unhappy with Carragher’s comments and responded to them on Tuesday morning by saying:
“Some analysts are objective in their comments, are very good advices, some are very subjective – Jamie Carragher is one of them. For the first moment he is criticising and now he wants to make his point. In the first half an hour (vs Fulham) he had a point.
Fulham surprised (us) with their midfield setup and we had to find a solution. We did after half an hour. I wasn’t pleased with the defensive performance, especially down the left side and that has everything to do with willingness, spirit and passion. That was good in previous weeks, therefore we won football games.
Footballers are not robots, sometimes they have bad days. It was unacceptable and we have to do better tomorrow.”
Manchester United travel to face Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday and will hope to do better than they did at Old Trafford on the weekend. Against Marco Silva’s side on Saturday, Ten Hag’s men equalised late through an 89th minute equaliser from Harry Maguire, only to be devastated when Alex Iwobi stunned Andre Onana with a 97th minute winner.
Carragher Response Shows Erik ten Hag is Under Pressure at Manchester United
With the Red Devils now in sixth place in the Premier League and eight points adrift of Aston Villa in the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot. Tottenham Hotspur are 3 points ahead of United but will receive a huge boost with the return of Son-Heung Min from the Asia Cup.
While United await confirmation of the appointment of new Sporting Director Dan Ashworth, there is building pressure on Erik ten Hag. If his side should fall further away from the top four spots, it seems reasonable to suggest the club may decide to part ways with the Dutch head coach in the summer.
The manager has responded to criticism by Carragher in the past, in particular, during the build up to the first Manchester derby of the 2023/24 season at Old Trafford.
In an article for the Daily Telegraph, the former England centre-back suggested that United’s summer signings had been “stale” and that there should be questions as to whether the Dutch head coach is the right person to get the most out of his current squad.
In response, Ten Hag told a press-conference: “In possession we have to do better, but there are reasons and I don’t go into them, but everyone is seeing why. But there are also facts so I disagree [with Carragher], we are much better,” said Ten Hag.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City went on to thrash his side 3-0 in a dismal display in which United only managed seven shots with three on target, compared to City’s twenty-one and ten on target.
What Next for Erik ten Hag?
Manchester United face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Wednesday night, with kick-off set for 7:45 pm (GMT). After that, they travel to the Etihad to face their arch-rivals in Manchester City. Another defeat could damage their hopes for European football and opens up the chance for Unai Emery’s Villa to separate themselves with an 11 point gap.
With Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez ruled out for the foreseeable future, Ten Hag will need to make significant adjustments to his side to ready themselves for their upcoming run of fixtures.
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