"Worst defeat": Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag reacts to "disappointing" result against Crystal Palace
May 07, 2024
New Delhi [India], May 7 : Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag insisted that he is the right man for the job but also admitted that their 4-0 loss against Manchester United on Tuesday (IST) was their "worst defeat".
Erik Ten Hag and his side suffered a massive blow on their hunt for a spot in the European League football for next season.
Their trip to Selhurst Park Stadium turned out to be a nightmare, as Palace sneaked past four goals to clinch a 4-0 win. Michael Olise scored a brace while Tyrick Mitchell and Jean-Philippe Mateta netted one each during the hosts' triumph.
After the loss, some sections of fans demanded Ten Hag's sacking. The Dutch manager was quizzed about the team's performance and whether he was the right man to lead the Red Devils.
"Absolutely," Ten Hag said when asked by Sky Sports if he was the right person for the job.
"If the right players are available, we have a good squad. We miss almost the whole backline and then we have problems. I will keep fighting. I prepared the team in the best way I could. It was not good enough, I have to take responsibility for that but I will find energy and prepare them for Sunday's game," Ten Hag added.
Manchester United missed their key players in the defensive position as well as the star attacking duo of Marcus Rashford and club captain Bruno Fernandes.
In the absence of top players, United struggled to break through Crystal Palace's system. The visitors could manage only two shots on target throughout the 90 minutes of the game.
While talking about the performance, Ten Hag didn't hold back from expressing his disappointment to watch his players get outplayed by the opposition.
"It is very disappointing. Under-performing. The worst defeat. We should have done better. We are aware, as a team performance, we were not correct, making big mistakes and not following the plan and the script and the rules we have," Ten Hag said.
"There was one issue but also on the left side, two players were doubling up on one player. That's very poor defending," he added.
After the defeat, Manchester United dropped to eighth position with 54 points, two behind Newcastle United who hold the sixth position with three games to go.
