Erik ten Hag has criticised Manchester United’s left side as particularly ineffective in the defeat to Newcastle.
Newcastle proved to be formidable opponents on home turf, beating an overwhelmed Manchester United side 2-0.
This was an unhappy return to action after the international break, just as we feared it might be.
Newcastle have now edged ahead of Manchester United now on goal difference, with both sides having 11 games left to play.
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Ten Hag picks out United flaw
Erik ten Hag spoke out on Manchester United’s defeat in an interview with club media following the 2-0 loss.
He did not get too low, trying to see the big picture, insisting: “It’s normal. In a season you have setbacks, and you have to deal with that.”
Ten Hag did admit that United’s attacking performance was not good enough, with the team failing to create enough opportunities.
He picked out the left side as a weakness, pointing out that he felt United offered absolutely nothing down that flank.
The Dutchman said: “I think our attacking game was not good enough. I don’t want to be focused on one person. It was about team performance. We didn’t break them down.
“In the first half we had a trap on the right side with Antony and Diogo [Dalot] but on the left we had almost nothing. That is the conclusion of the game.”
Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford played 90 minutes in the defeat, on the left, and struggled to have any kind of impact.
Rashford did not attempt a single shot at goal, while Shaw struggled to create any chances from open play.
Both players are capable of a lot more than they showed in this game, and credit to Newcastle for shutting them down, but it’s a little worrying from a Manchester United perspective.
It will be interesting to see if Ten Hag mixes it up against Brentford, possibly bringing in Tyrell Malacia at left-back.
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