Erik ten Haag, the Manchester United coach, has suggested that a poor result can be the wake-up call needed for players to improve their game. Speaking after United’s victory over Betis in the Europa League, Ten Hag praised the performance of Bruno Fernandes, who was one of the goalscorers in the match.
In an interview with BT Sport, Ten Hag said, “He was the best player on the field and showed character. He played a bit deeper against Betis and was brilliant. He was a leader, he built the game and controlled the game. He had a lot of good passes between the lines and we created a lot of chances from that. From the first minute, he led the team, dictated the rhythm of the game and scored a goal, and I’m satisfied.”
Despite the convincing victory over Betis, Ten Hag reminded his players that the loss to Liverpool in the Premier League was a wake-up call and that they needed to improve their performance going forward. “It’s not about ignoring that result, we made a mistake and that’s why they broke us. We did not control our standard. In the weeks before that defeat, I was not happy with the performance against Newcastle, nor against Leicester in the first half. Sometimes you need a bad result to open your eyes,” he said.
However, Ten Hag also emphasized that the team’s recent form has been excellent and that they should not forget the positive performances that led up to the Liverpool defeat. “We played 23 consecutive games and suffered one defeat during that time, and even though the 24th was a tough defeat, you can’t ignore the previous games in which the team played very well,” he said.
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