ERIK TEN HAG expects a response from Manchester United as they look for revenge against Aston Villa and Carabao Cup progress.
Thursday’s Old Trafford encounter will be the sides’ second meeting in five days and the wounded Red Devils will be looking to make amends for Sunday’s tepid display in Birmingham.
Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne struck early goals in Unai Emery’s first match as Villa boss, with Jacob Ramsey wrapping up a 3-1 win having earlier turned a hopeful Luke Shaw strike into his own net.
That loss brought United’s nine-match unbeaten run to a halt and Ten Hag wants far better from his side in their final home game before the World Cup break.
“We had a good series of games and we played a lot of games after each other,” the Dutchman said. “I know players are not robots but we were not happy with our performance at Villa Park on Sunday.
“We made it quite clear in our analysis – it’s not acceptable, it’s never acceptable. We have to deliver every game and that is the culture that has to be here. It’s not good.
“We can’t change that any more but it’s clear, we want a reaction tomorrow from the team.
“We want to get back to what I’ve seen over the last couple of months. A change in attitude, a better winning attitude and, tomorrow, we have to bring that on the pitch.”
United’s first domestic cup match of the season offers Ten Hag the chance to rotate his side as a manic period comes to an end.
The Dutchman is planning some changes on Thursday and Anthony Martial is set to appear again, having returned from a back injury as a second-half substitute at Villa Park.
But Ten Hag is unsure if this match will come too soon for Antony and Jadon Sancho.
“First of all, all the games we play has only one aim – we have to win,” the United boss said. “That is the most important, eh? We have to win so we put the best players on the pitch we have.
“For every game, we make a proper plan and also a line-up, so for tomorrow that is the same.
“But of course we have a lot of games to cover, this is a different league (competition), so we plan some changes but we want to play a strong team and we have only one aim – we have to win tomorrow and we want to go to the next round.
“On the injuries update, there are some players coming back and also some question marks as you have seen. Anthony Martial, for the last 20 minutes, was back at Villa so we are happy with that.
“We hope that tomorrow he can continue this. He will be in the squad, we have to see, he will have minutes, definitely if he has recovered.
Yesterday we had a day off so tonight we have the final training and we will see if he is capable to play for minutes.
“On the rest, Jadon Sancho, we have to wait, Antony we have to wait today on final training.”
Ashley Yonng never came across as the sharpest tool in the box
@Kieran: how is it dumb to keep trying to compete? He’s not saying they’ll be successful , just that he won’t give up trying. Real losers are the ones that quit. What would you do?
@Andrew Keane: thing is, United don’t try and compete. Especially not against good teams. They try not to lose.
@James Doyle: They competed against Chelsea!
@The Bunk: I said good teams….
But in fairness, they were at home against a team that has lost 3 out of the last 4, were beaten by 3 by both Watford and Bournemouth, and even then only “went for the win” with 30 minutes left, and Chelsea still had a goal incorrectly disallowed to equalize. It wasn’t all that great, really.
@Kieran: Tool? Yes. Sharp? No.
Ha.
Easy on the glue there Young ya gimp!
@glenn kilfeather: what do you expect him or anyone else put in that position to say ! Now who’s the ‘GIMP!’
@thatsnotme: Ashley Young
@thatsnotme: Ashley Young?
Playing to win? Is that what he calls turning out Jose’s patented 6-4-0 formation anytime United play a team in the top 6? Playing not to lose may get United tremendous results like a 0-0 at Anfield, or a 2-1 over an out of sorts Chelsea, but it does not a “title challenge” make. United have lost 16 points on Man City in 21 games. They were level after 7. That’s the opposite of “going to win every game”.
Deluded as the rest of them!
@Eoin McCarthy: why is he deluded?
@Andrew Keane: By thinking that United, or any team for that matter, might catch City at this stage.
New story on Young tomorrow, “Ashley Young fails drug test”
Dived in there Ashley
Well you hardly expect them to concede matches do you. Everyone else is playing for top 4 places since before Xmas.
Ah brilliant. You have to love Marlo Stanfields optimism. Hahahhah.
@England’s Envy: Careful now, or Young will get Chris and Snoop to put you up in those vacants.
@Alan J. McKenna: Haahaha McNulty will get their asS
You’re talking shiit Ashley….probably just returning what that bird dumped in your mouth that time though ha!
Clown
Hahahahahahahahaha…..lolololilolololololololol