“I’ve to take responsibility for it” - Erik ten Hag breaks silence after Manchester United suffer 3-0 loss to Bournemouth
Manchester United lost to Bournemouth in their Premier League Matchday 16 clash by three goals in front of their fans. The club's under-fire manager Erik ten Hag owned up to his side's disappointing showing, which was their seventh league defeat this season.
Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is in his second season in charge of the side, but has seen his side struggle for much of the season. The manager has been spoken about for possible replacement if the attempt of Sir Jim Ratcliffe to buy a 25% stake in the club is successful.
Ten Hag saw his side dominate Chelsea on their way to picking up a 2-1 win on Wednesday (December 6), their first win in three matches. The Dutch manager looked distraught as his side sleep-walked to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Cherries.
Speaking to the media after the match, Erik ten Hag admitted his faults and his side's inconsistent showings. He also spoke of his side's need to perform at a high level in every game.
“I’ve to take responsibility for it. We are really inconsistent. I understand fans are disappointed, frustrated. We all are but we should do better and we have show it every game, not to have so big levels from one game to another,” the Manchester United manager said.
Ten Hag would have been disappointed with the levels shown by his players in the game, particularly from captain Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder picked up a booking for dissent, which will rule him out of his side's next match against Liverpool at Anfield.
Manchester United toothless as Bournemouth reign supreme
Andoni Iraola arrived at Bournemouth in the summer and set to work on building a team in his image. Playing against Manchester United at one of the most iconic venues in football, they managed to impose their style of play from the get-go.
The Cherries scored their first goal after a perfectly executed counter-press in the Red Devils' half of the pitch after only five minutes. They continued to cause trouble for ten Hag's side throughout the first half, until their reward arrived in the second.
More front-foot football saw the Cherries find the net a second time through Danish midfielder Philip Billing, before Marco Senesi rounded off the scoring. The Manchester United fans looked far from happy with their team's performance, and they would expect a response against Bayern Munich.
Ten Hag will hope for his Manchester United side to perform better when they host the German champions in midweek with their UEFA Champions League hopes on the line.