Erik Ten Hag Fires Shots At Own Players After Dismal Draw To Tottenham

Manchester United fans would not have thought that their team was competitive enough to compete for silverware this season throughout the competitions they have been able to qualify in, but their club has since gone on to claim the English Football League (EFL) Cup.

While they find themselves in the final of the FA Cup against Manchester City, their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season is in dire straits following a disappointing draw with the Tottenham Hotspurs.

The Red Devils found themselves in the lead thanks to early goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, only for the Lilywhites to draw level at the end by way of Pedro Porro and Son Heung-Min's efforts, forcing each squad to settle for a single point.

Understandably frustrated with his team's performance, manager Erik ten Hag blasted his wards in the postgame press conference.

"Before, I would be happy with a point. And you see first half, although I don't think we played that brilliant, we had complete control. We had an overload in midfield, we used that very well, especially switching from right to left, we used that overload to score both goals," the Dutchman stated.

"After half time, there was a difference because we were not secure. Then you have to go into the fight and when you lose your battles, you don't go to crosses, you don't squeeze out, you don't close shots, you concede goals and that's what happened."

The grind of the 2022-23 soccer season has been weighing them down heavily and with understandable reasons as well.

In the month of April, the Red Devils played in eight matches with an average of about three to four days of rest and training between matchdays.

Add in the fact that they have a tough schedule to close out the Premier League season with gritty teams standing in their way, adversity is something they will have to be comfortable with in the final six Premier League matches.

But in that same vein, Manchester United needs to step it up since elite-level teams always find a way to win despite the lack of rest in between.

"You have to bring it every time, although I know they are not robots. It's a tough schedule, but it can't be [like this], we can't accept [this]," ten Hag stated.

"When you are playing for Manchester United and wearing the shirt then you have to give it on every occasion, every game. As a team, you have to get the win, then everyone is happy and satisfied."

With Manchester United only being six points clear of the Tottenham Hotspurs for fourth and two points behind, Newcastle United for third, their Premier League match against Aston Villa on Sunday, April 30 becomes a must-win.