"I don't know what they are now" - Pundit says nothing about Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's demeanor inspires him
Footballer-turned-pundit Andy Gray has criticized Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, claiming that the latter's demeanour simply does not inspire him.
Gray's comments came after the Red Devils fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday, December 2. Anthony Gordon's 55th-minute effort from Kieran Trippier's ball across the box gave the Magpies a fairly comfortable victory.
The result put an end to the visitors' three-game winning run in the league. It also means they have now won just three of their last eight matches across competitions (four losses, one draw).
Gray, who was on punditry duty for beIN Sports during the match, was critical of Ten Hag, indicating that Manchester United still didn't seem to have an identity. The former attacker, who played for Everton and Aston Villa among other clubs, said (as quoted by GOAL):
"I look at that as a Manchester United manager and does it give me any inspiration? No. Not at all. Nothing about his demeanour screams, 'I want to do it for you.' Doesn't inspire me.
"It's not just I don't know what they are now. There has been a complication of things like when they bought Wout Weghorst, nothing extraordinary. They were supposed to be the best pressing side in the country, 'That's what we are going to do.' He is the pressing monster, he is going to start the press, going to be on the front foot. I haven't seen anything like that."
Gray concluded:
"This year, we are told they are counter-attacking side. They are going to beat teams in transition. I haven't seen much of that either."
Manchester United managed just 42% possession and eight shots, only one of which was on target, on Saturday. Their best chances of the game came in the opening 15 minutes and then in the final minutes of regulation.
Alejandro Garnacho went through on goal in the 11th minute, but saw his effort repelled by Nick Pope's feet. In the 89th minute, Harry Maguire unknowingly turned in Antony's shot, but from an offside position.
Overall, however, they created no big chances and won only 36 duels compared to Newcastle's 62.
The Magpies weren't at their most fluent when it came to finishing either, getting only four of their 22 efforts on target. However, they did create four big chances, missing three, and hit the woodwork once through a Trippier free-kick.
"Newcastle had the better performance" - Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag offers assessment of latest loss
Speaking to specific media outlets after the match, Erik ten Hag admitted that Newcastle United were the better team on Saturday. He indicated that Manchester United played better in the second half, but claimed that they had to perform in that manner for all 90 minutes.
Ten Hag said (as quoted by the Red Devils' official website):
“We have to give credit to Newcastle. They played better than us tonight. We started well, we had a good chance by Garnacho but then, for a long period, Newcastle had the better performance than us.
“We went down 1-0 but, to be fair, by the end of the game, we came back and had some good opportunities. [Sergio] Reguilon had a good chance, then [there was] the offside goal, so we fought back but we have to do this for the whole game.
“We had our moments where we could make good formations but it wasn’t enough. We could have been more dominant in the game.”
Manchester United will next face Chelsea at home in the Premier League on Wednesday, December 6. This will be followed by another league encounter at Old Trafford against Bournemouth on December 12.