Erik ten Hag Criticizes Manchester United’s Performance in Europa League Draw

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag openly criticized his players’ mentality following their 1-1 draw against FC Twente in a Europa League group stage game on Wednesday. The match, held in Twente’s home ground, saw United take the lead but ultimately fail to secure a victory.

“You saw it was the game of their life,” Ten Hag said in his post-match comments. “They fought for every yard and we didn’t. And 99 percent is not enough, you have to give 100 percent.”

The Dutchman expressed frustration over United’s inability to “kill the game” after taking an early lead through Christian Eriksen. Sam Lammers of Twente equalized in the 68th minute, leaving United unable to regain control of the match.

“We are leading 1-0 and then there is coming an atmosphere in a team. We bring the game until the end but you have to go for the second goal and then you kill the game,” he added. “You saw there was a very good spirit in the Twente team; you could see after the draw, how they celebrate, what it meant to them, they were on the pitch.”

The pivotal moment came when Twente equalized, an opportunity which Ten Hag attributed to defensive lapses in his squad. “We can’t allow them a situation with the equalizer where one player, the right-back from Twente, is dribbling over the whole midfield without being stopped,” Ten Hag remarked.

While reflecting on the match, Ten Hag did acknowledge the typically strong work rate of his team but admitted to falling short in this instance. “I think often the mentality is very good from this team. I saw in many games how high our work rate is and that is often very good. But today I have some criticism,” he stated.

Manchester United had been aiming for a successful start in their Europa League journey, especially with challenging fixtures against FC Porto and Fenerbahce ahead. “It’s the first game in the Europa League, it’s very important you get a win,” Ten Hag emphasized, focusing on the need for consistency and improvement in their performances.

As United continue in the competition, they will need to heed Ten Hag’s advice to “build and keep going” if they are to achieve success in the upcoming matches.