Manchester United players showed up for training on Monday looking dejected to face the wrath of their irate boss Erik ten Hag after Liverpool’s humbling.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave United’s stars the day off after they were defeated 5-0 by Liverpool the previous season, but there was no such refuge on Monday at Carrington.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Ten Hag arrived at 7 am to get ready for his players’ arrival two hours later, followed by Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho, and David de Gea, who was hiding his face from the cameras.
Luke Shaw followed his goalkeeper’s example by bending his mirror to avoid being snapped as De Gea and his defenders had a dreadful day, allowing seven goals to be scored.
Ten Hag will be eager to clear the record before Thursday’s vital Europa League first leg against Real Betis because United hasn’t been humiliated 7-0 since 1931.
Ten Hag arrived well before his players, and the expressions on his stars suggested they arrived dreading the worst. Ten Hag left himself plenty of time to decide his strategy for Monday morning.
As he turned into the practice field, Garnacho had the hood of his white zip-up pulled all the way up, striker Wout Weghorst was apprehensive, and a deflated Diogo Dalot appeared unhappy.
Ten Hag’s comments in the aftermath at Anfield suggest that Sunday’s humiliation won’t be quickly forgotten.
“The result is quite obvious,’ the Dutchman said surprisingly on Sunday. “It’s unprofessional.”
“But I think it’s a huge difference in Brentford (in August). We were 4-0 down at half-time, so we started the game very bad.”
“Today, first half, I think we were the better team. First half, we created the better chances and we had two one-on-ones with the goalie and they hadn’t.”
“Then before half-time we make one mistake (in terms of) organisation and we concede a goal, so I think we were in the game.”
“So, it was really a surprise for me that after half-time we so quickly gave the game away.”
“First two goals, two defensive transition moments. First was a turnover, second was a counter.”
“We make such bad decisions, a matter of decisions on the ball. That was with the first one obviously but then how we anticipate, how we concede that goal is really annoying.”
“Then the third was a counter, also so unprofessional about decisions, not following in, then running in, moving forward, giving the space away in the back end of midfield, not tracking back. And especially that one, not tracking back.”
“Then it’s 3-0, then the game’s lost. Then as a team you have to stick together and that is what we didn’t do and that was a surprise for me.”
“I haven’t seen this from my team I don’t think it’s us. I don’t think it’s Manchester United, so that’s really bad and poor.”
Ten Hag was in a rage when he told the press conference that United’s players “didn’t cooperate anymore together and they didn’t fulfill their jobs” in the second half while speaking in the depths of Anfield.
The group will have an uncomfortable assessment on Monday at Carrington because the Dutchman wants a response for Thursday’s first-leg Europa League match against Real Betis.
This particular rumbling by out of form Liverpool is Manchester United biggest defeat in over 60 years.
See More Of The Players Pictures Hiding Their Faces Below:
