Most recently, MU had to struggle to win against Coventry after a penalty shootout in the final round of the 2023/24 FA Cup. Ten Hag himself defended his students by affirming that he was not ashamed of the way Man Utd beat their lower-ranked opponent.
At the press conference before the Sheffield United match in the make-up match of round 29 of the Premier League, the Dutch coach reiterated this point of view and responded to the media: “I absolutely cannot understand the reaction from the media. You guys.” asked ‘Is that embarrassing?’ No, it’s your reaction that’s embarrassing.
In top football, what matters is the result, we reached the final and we deserved it, not only in this match but also in the other matches. Yes, MU lost control for 20 minutes, we also had bad luck when the opponent narrowed the gap to 2-3 and then were equalized 3-3.
Obviously we were very lucky in the end. We did well in the shootout and made it to the final, which was a huge achievement. Twice, in two years – amazing. For me, as a coach, 4 National Cup finals in 4 years. Those comments are an insult.”
Before the Coventry match, Ten Hag said that he could only choose the strongest team in one match after 18 months of working at Man Utd. Now, Ten Hag reiterates and emphasizes the frequent absence of key players, especially in defense, causing MU to not maintain stable performance: “The most important thing to aim for victory is to have a good squad. Some things involve psychological issues, and we don’t have the strongest force.
We often lack a back four and lack alternatives in matches. What you need is the full squad to fix things. It’s a matter of psychology and reading the game, and opponents will take more risks. MU must improve, but needs a full squad to do that.”
Besides, Ten Hag admitted that Amad Diallo should have gotten more playing time: “Amad deserved to play more but don’t forget he was injured for a long time of the season. So , we re-evaluated, now he’s had some opportunities, he’s really contributed.”
