Erik ten Hag urged his critics to evaluate Manchester United at the end of the season and pointed to their last-gasp draw at Porto tonight as evidence his players have a “strong spirit”.
Goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund put United in the driving seat at the Estadio do Dragao but familiar defensive frailties were again in evidence as Pepe brought Porto back into the game before a brace from the hugely impressive Samu Omorodion saw the hosts lead 3-2.
On a chaotic evening, captain Bruno Fernandes was sent-off for the second time in four days – although his red card against Tottenham at the weekend was later rescinded on appeal – before substitute Harry Maguire headed in a corner late on to give United a point.
Ten Hag told TNT Sports: “We started the game very good, we dominated, scored two goals then we lost control. The start was good, the middle was not good then we finished very good. It’s a tough place to go, we’re coming back from 3-2 and get the equaliser. The team has a strong character, but the middle part we have to improve.
“We need to be better on the ball, keep switching. We had good players, a good plan. We have to defend better. We had three clean sheets not a long time ago so we can defend very good, but we have to go back to those habits.”
“Don’t judge us in this moment, wait until the end of the season. We’re in a process.”
Erik ten Hag has full belief in his squad moving forward 💪
🎙 @DannyJamieson pic.twitter.com/TQKllMyNGA
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2024
Ten Hag requests more time
This week was billed as make-or-break for Ten Hag with tonight’s game followed by an equally difficult-looking trip to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Maguire may have given him some breathing space but the Dutchman insists now is not the time to draw conclusions.
He added: “We will get there. Don’t judge us in this moment, judge us at the end of the season. We are in the process, we will…
Source link : https://www.101greatgoals.com/football/europa-league/manchester-united-boss-ten-hag-dont-judge-us-till-the-end-of-the-season/
Author : Jon Fisher
Publish date : 2024-10-03 22:08:38
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.