After Amrabat’s foul on Ayew led to a 1-0 loss to Palace, here’s Ten Hag’s response
After a disappointing 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s head coach, Erik ten Hag, spoke out about the match, particularly addressing a crucial foul committed by Amrabat that led to Palace’s winning goal.
Sofyan Amrabat, a Dutch-born footballer, plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United, currently on loan from Serie A’s Fiorentina. He also represents the Morocco national team.
This loss marked a significant statistic for Manchester United: it was the fourth defeat in their opening seven games of a Premier League season, a situation that the club hadn’t faced before.
For Ten Hag’s side, it was a rollercoaster week, with prior victories against Burnley and Palace in the Carabao Cup.
However, the dark cloud returned on Saturday, courtesy of Joachim Andersen’s first-half strike.
Despite flashes of attacking potential, United’s response after conceding was limited.
The home crowd watched with frustration as their team struggled to create meaningful chances, and Sam Johnstone, Palace’s goalkeeper, remained largely untested.
Amrabat, who was deployed as a left-back by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, gave the foul away that led to Andersen’s strike after colliding with Jordan Ayew.
Ten Hag Analyzes Manchester United’s 1-0 Loss to Palace
Eric Ten Hag: “First of all, for the free kick, we need more control.“
“It is not necessary to make a foul there. Then the ball is coming into the box, and it is not good defending,”
Ten Hag, in a post-match interview, dissected the performance: “It was simple, we conceded from three chances we conceded in the game, all from set plays.“
“We are not confident enough to defend that. I think we created numerous moments in the final part of the game, and we made poor decisions. The quality was not good enough in that part of the game.“
He continued, highlighting the team’s struggles in the later stages of the match: “The final part of the game, we didn’t play our best game.“
“Of course, it’s frustrating. We were close many times, but we weren’t clinical or sharp to go for the goal.“
Regarding the decisive goal, Ten Hag commented, “It wasn’t necessary to make a foul there. Then the ball comes through the box; it’s not good defending.”
Ten Hag stressed the need for improvement, emphasizing the diverse demands of different situations in a match:
“Every occasion is different; sometimes it’s composure; sometimes you need to be clinical; sometimes you need to be direct; sometimes you need an extra pass.“
“We have to learn to do better in the final part of the game.“
The frustration was palpable, but Ten Hag remained determined to address the issues and push the team to perform better in crucial moments.
Meanwhile, Palace’s manager, Roy Hodgson, made history by becoming the first manager to go unbeaten in five consecutive away Premier League games at Old Trafford.
As Manchester United regroups, their next challenge awaits in the form of a Champions League fixture, where they will host Galatasaray, providing another opportunity for Ten Hag’s side to bounce back from this setback.
