Erik ten Hag warns Manchester United to avoid the ‘vicious circle’ of getting dragged into a relegation fight, while insisting Premier League teams are much stronger than before.
Manchester United continued their dismal form on the football pitch after falling to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea. Despite some energetic moments in the first half at Stamford Bridge, the Red Devils ultimately conceded a second-half goal with Morgan Rogers scoring and adding to the pressure.
Michael Carrick was left a mountain to climb after Lisandro Martinez was shown two yellow cards in quick succession to leave Manchester United a man down and a penalty to contend with. Cole Palmer did not waste the chance from 12 yards out to double Chelsea’s advantage and completely take the game away from the Red Devils.
The result was their third defeat on the bounce across all competitions, and ensured Manchester United are without a win in nine games. Incidentally, the Red Devils have won one of their nine Premier League games this season, with their latest defeat at Stamford Bridge leaving them in 17th spot, level on points with 18th-placed Crystal Palace.
Erik ten Hag’s message for Manchester United
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has sent a big message to the club and urged them to avoid getting caught up in a ‘vicious cycle’ of a relegation dogfight. His comments that appeared in The Sun carried a warning that the dangers of relegation are real, as the strength of most teams in the division could lead to Manchester United getting drawn into a fight they might find it extremely challenging to come out of.
On the relegation fears, Ten Hag said, “In the Premier League it’s certainly possible, because all the teams are simply strong. They’re all strong squads, all good managers. And if you end up on the wrong side once and you really get into that vicious circle — yes, then it can become very, very difficult.”
Ten Hag also reflected a bit on the time he was managing Manchester United, while insisting his sides played good football during that period. He ended his comments, reiterating how strong the teams in the division are and Manchester United should avoid being around the danger zone.
Ten Hag continued, “I think we performed pretty well with United. I think we had performed more than pretty well. We couldn’t have done it better. Before we arrived, six years without winning a trophy. Look where they are now.”
“We were at Wembley six times; we played two FA Cup finals. We won two trophies, we finished third. And yes, we simply performed pretty well. And at times we also played pretty good football. We also had a difficult spell…But the Premier League is so strong and when you hit a difficult spell, yes, then you really have a problem.”
Amid all the chaos with the performances on the pitch, Michael Carrick’s role has come under intense scrutiny, with names like Julian Nagelsmann being mentioned as a possible replacement. For the time being, Carrick is expected to stay put, with suggestions that he could be given time until the international break.
While former Manchester United manager Ten Hag sounded out a relegation warning, another ex-club boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lent his support to Carrick. At the moment, fans will hope to see a turnaround in results, and certainly want the club to not fall into the ‘vicious cycle’ of a relegation fight, with doubts around the club on whether they can win it.
