After their embarrassing 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Erik ten Hag said that his Manchester United squad “deserved” to be jeered off the pitch at Old Trafford.
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Joachim Anderson, a defender for Palace, scored a beautiful goal in the first half to secure the victory for the visitors, who held on despite a late United barrage. As a result of losing four of their first seven Premier League games, the Red Devils have now had their worst start to a season in 34 years.
Ten Hag acknowledged that he understood why fans voiced their annoyance after the final whistle, despite his attempts to defend his players after the game. The Dutchman then emphasised that United must simply get better in the coming days.
“I can’t blame the players, they gave everything,” Ten Hag said in a statement on Saturday. However, we didn’t perform well in either box in the last section. We had plenty of opportunities, but our decision-making was insufficient.
We had the upper hand, but if we want to score, we must be sharper, more decisive, and more persistent. The boos make sense to me. Both at home and on the road, United is expected to defeat Crystal Palace. We need to perform better.
It’s a horrible start, he continued. We must improve and catch up. This is insufficient. Everyone finds it aggravating, especially the fans, of course. It’s frustrating for the players as much as for me. We must continue to work together, advocate for reform, and ensure that it occurs.
Ten Hag has now set a record for losing four of Manchester United’s first seven Premier League games. Additionally, despite mounting fan unrest, he still appears to have the backing of the Old Trafford hierarchy.
The Telegraph reported earlier this month that during a special meeting, chief executive Richard Arnold made it clear to the employees that, despite United’s lacklustre start to the season, the club was still entirely behind Ten Hag.
Ten Hag received support worth £160 million this summer after managing a record transfer window expenditure the previous year. In light of United’s poor performance, he acknowledged that pressure “is always there” after losing to Brighton earlier this month.
Following Saturday’s loss to Palace, #TenHagOut trended on social media in addition to fans airing their annoyances at Old Trafford.
