Ten Hag’s position has been questioned since billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group took control of football activities at Man Utd and made extensive changes to the team’s structure. The Dutch coach’s expertise was also questioned, when the “Red Devils” experienced a poor season, were soon eliminated from the Confederation Cup, the Champions League and had difficulty in the race to win tickets to the European Cup in the Premier League.
But despite the 0-4 defeat at Crystal Palace on May 6, Ten Hag is confident that he will continue to lead Man Utd next season. “Sure,” he replied when asked if he was the right person to lead Man Utd. “If we have the right players, we have a good squad. Man Utd has problems missing almost the entire defenders. I prepare the team in the best way possible and will continue to fight. The performance wasn’t good enough, I have to take responsibility, but I will find my energy again and prepare for the next match.”
Coach Ten Hag in the 0-4 loss to Palace in round 36 of the Premier League on May 6. Photo: Reuters
At Selhurst Park, Man Utd conceded in the 12th minute when Michael Olise received the ball from a throw-in, rushed straight into the midfield and then scored diagonally into the goal. Ten Hag hinted that the students did not follow the instructions properly. “It was a goal that shouldn’t have happened, because we actually give clear instructions on how to defend in such situations,” the 54-year-old coach said. “They don’t show it on the field and are completely outmatched. There is a problem, but on the left wing, there are two players marking one person. The defense is very poor.”
In this situation, Casemiro rose high and left his position and was easily eliminated by Olise, but Ten Hag said that this was a system error. “You cannot blame one player,” he expressed. “It was a team performance. The throw-in for the first goal should not have happened.”
Ten Hag pointed out that there were five Man Utd players standing in the opponent’s half when Crystal Palace’s throw-in led to the opening goal. “That’s impossible,” he said angrily. “We didn’t follow the rules, didn’t adapt to a slightly different situation, didn’t organize, keep control in that situation.”
In the remaining part, Man Utd also received three more goals from shots from Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell. The 0-4 defeat caused Man Utd to record a series of sad achievements.
Man Utd players were disappointed after conceding the second goal in a 0-4 defeat at Crystal Palace in round 36 of the Premier League on May 6. Photo: Reuters
The “Red Devils” have conceded 81 goals in all competitions this season, the worst statistics since the 1976-1977 season also with 81 goals. The team also lost 13 matches in a Premier League season for the first time. Man Utd is currently ranked eighth in the Premier League with a difference of -3 (scoring 52, conceding 55 goals) and ranked below Chelsea, the team with a difference of +11.
Ten Hag admitted that Man Utd had a poor performance, but continued to point out that the team had a crisis in defense. Against Crystal Palace, the Dutch coach had to use a quartet of defenders including Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Casemiro and Diogo Dalot. In particular, Ten Hag revealed that Evans has only practiced two times, is not in the best condition but still has to play the full 90 minutes. However, he admitted that the whole team needed to play better and deserved this heavy loss.
On May 12, Man Utd returned to Old Trafford’s home field to meet the team currently racing for the championship, Arsenal.