"That was stupid" - Tactic involving Cristiano Ronaldo blasted by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has slammed his team's decision to repeatedly try and cross to Cristiano Ronaldo during their match against Aston Villa.
The two teams took each other on in a Premier League encounter at Villa Park on Sunday (November 6). United were handed a 3-1 defeat by the hosts in Unai Emery's first game in charge.
Ten Hag's men seemed to lack creativity through the middle, with Bruno Fernandes missing the game due to a suspension. Upon going two goals down after just 11 minutes in the first half, they seemed to repeatedly try to find Cristiano Ronaldo with crosses from wider areas with little success.
After the game, Carl Anka, The Athletic's Manchester United correspondent, asked Ten Hag if the tactic was a deliberate ploy. The Dutch tactician responded (via Anka's Twitter page):
"No, that was stupid."
In his tweet, Anka further added that Ten Hag was frustrated with his players' decision to try and get crosses in as quickly as they could:
"He [Ten Hag] then described his frustration at United players rushing the cross and not waiting for the right moment."
Asked Ten Hag if the amount of crosses #MUFC attempted in first half was a deliberate approach to feed Ronaldo
His response "No, that was stupid". He then described his frustration at United players rushing the cross and not waiting for the right moment.
As per Sofascore, Manchester United attempted 15 crosses in the first half of their game against Aston Villa, with only two reaching their intended target. That fell to eight in the second half, presumably after Ten Hag made his feelings clear about the tactic during the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo draws a blank as Manchester United fall to first league defeat since October 2
Manchester United's crossing was haphazard and didn't give Cristiano Ronaldo sufficient opportunities to get a shot on goal against Aston Villa. However, the veteran forward didn't do much on his own either.
Given a start and the captain's armband, Ronaldo flattered to deceive. He played the entirety of the game and got just a solitary shot on target from a header, which Emiliano Martinez did well to save with his feet.
The Portugal skipper got only 25 touches during the game and simply couldn't influence proceedings. His pressing was also inconsistent, with United evidently missing a disruptor high up the pitch.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't the only one to blame as his side were pegged back very early on and never really recovered.
Leon Bailley opened the scoring with a clinical finish seven minutes after kick-off before Lucas Digne netted a glorious free-kick to make it 2-0. Luke Shaw's deflected strike gave Manchester United a lifeline just before half-time, but Jacob Ramsey's 49th-minute goal sealed the game for Villa.
Defeat at Villa Park.
#MUFC || #AVLMUN
The defeat was the Red Devils' first Premier League reversal since a 6-3 loss to Manchester City back on October 2.