Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has blamed the surprise Premier League defeat to Aston Villa on the players.
Ten Hag called Manchester United’s tactic of crossing from deep for Cristiano Ronaldo “stupid.”
The former Ajax manager was obviously frustrated by the inability of the players to “follow the rules” resulting in the 3-1 defeat.
When asked if he had told the players to look for the head of the 37-year-old forward to help bring him into the game, Ten Hag replied: “No, I think it was stupid to do that.”
He stated that the team delivered crosses in from too far, too forcing, and too quickly.
The Dutch-born tactician absolved Cristiano Ronaldo of any blame, maintaining that the players did not help him by bringing in the crosses at the right moment.
According to him, similar scenarios were also recorded even in the second half, with the crosses still coming in too quickly.
He pointed out that Christian Eriksen had a golden chance to break the deadlock by delivering the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo but failed woefully.
Bruno Fernandes was missed by Manchester United in the game as his absence writ large leaving loopholes in the Man United midfield.
Aston Villla scored two quick and early goals, exploiting a tardy and crumbling Man United midfield which left the defense vulnerable.
Erik Ten Hag lashed on the squad and refused to blame the loss on the absence of Bruno Fernandes. According to him, the players did not do enough against Aston Villa.
“Bruno Fernandes is an important player but I don’t have that feeling. It is about the players who are now on the pitch to win this game. If they do their job 100 per cent, with passion and desire, following the rules and the principles of football, then we win this game.”
He also blamed the players for Luiz Digne’s free-kick goal, saying the ball was unstoppable given the distance from goal.
After Aston Villa scored their opening goal, it was not long before the team doubled the lead with Luis Digne’s long-range thunderbolt.
In the second half, Manchester United hoped for a come-back after scoring to make it 2-1, but Aston Villa sank the Reds with another goal to condemn the team to their fourth defeat of the season.
A slump by a 3-1 goal margin was not expected, despite a lacklustre performance with Ten Hag going with second-choice players.
Donny van de Beek made his first Premier League start of the season, and Marcus Rashford was shifted to the right due to Antony’s absence.
Erik Ten Hag finally attributed to the psychological disposition of the players while admitting his disappointment.
“It is psychological but it is not acceptable, don’t get me wrong”, the coach noted. “We have to be ready every game and not give the game so easily away.”
The defeat is Manchester United’s 4th loss since the 6-3 defeat to Manchester City at Etihad and their fourth defeat in the season.
Meanwhile, it was a great way for the new manager and former Arsenal boss Unai Emery to kickstart his reign at Aston Villa.
