In the 32nd minute of Manchester United’s game against West Ham on Sunday, Diogo Dalot missed a shocking chance to score despite having an open goal right in front of him. Fans at London Stadium, including West Ham supporters, couldn’t believe it. Ultimately, that bizarre miss contributed directly to United’s 2-1 loss, but manager Erik ten Hag has other players he feels are to blame.
Ten Hag, as he has after several losses and draws this season, chose to focus on the positives. On Sunday, he was all about pointing out the umpteenth number of chances created by Manchester United in the first half.
“We created so many chances and played so much good football, especially in the first half,” the Dutchman said as quoted by The Mirror.
The problem, however, was that United kept missing chances. And although Dalot should have put the ball into the net with his eyes closed, he wasn’t the only one to mis ‘100%’ clear cut chances – at least according to Ten Hag.
“It’s not fair to pick one player out. I can also say Garnacho, twice, Hojlund one time, Rashford, Bruno. So many were missing chances.”
Ten Hag got a lot wrong against West Ham on Sunday, but he was right about the names of the players who missed big chances.
The London-based club’s goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański was on top form, saving shots from Rashford and Fernandes, whereas Garnacho came closest, when he hit the post.
There are two ways to look at ten Hag’s post match claims. On one hand, the Manchester United boss might be emphasizing the team aspect, suggesting that Dalot wasn’t solely responsible for the team’s shortcomings.
On the other hand, he could be subtly throwing Dalot—and four others—under the bus. This wouldn’t be surprising, as Ten Hag has criticized his players publicly before; just ask Cristiano Ronaldo.
Regardless, the pressure continues to mount on Ten Hag. Despite the VAR controversy that effectively handed West Ham the win at London Stadium on Saturday, reports suggest that he faces an increasing risk of being sacked by United’s INEOS bosses.
1. ings runs full speed into de ligt
2. clear ings handball even before the incident
michael oliver and VAR are an utter disgrace pic.twitter.com/8X2qKw0bvX— ⚡ (@UTDCJ_) October 27, 2024
Manchester United currently sits 14th in the Premier League and 21st in the Europa League. Absolute shambles.
