After the unfortunate defeat against Copenhagen in the Champions League in the middle of the week, coach Erik Ten Hag's team aims to win against Luton in the 12th round of the Premier League tonight (10:00 p.m. November 11, Vietnam time) when playing at home at Old Trafford.
Facing an opponent ranked only 17th on the rankings is an opportunity for Man Utd to regain their spirit with a victory, to compete for a top 4 position in the Premier League as well as keep coach Ten Hag's seat less shaky after a disappointing start to the season.
The Red Devils have lost nine of their opening 17 games in all competitions, their worst run since the 1973-74 season. They have conceded 30 goals in 17 games, including 10 in their last four.
This is the main reason why Man Utd is at the bottom of the Champions League table as well as only being in 8th place in the Premier League table.
Coach Ten Hag expects Harry Maguire to help Man Utd win against Luton (Photo: AP).
Notably, speaking at a press conference before the match with Luton, coach Ten Hag said that center-back Harry Maguire (who was stripped of the captaincy last summer) will become the "leader" of the "Red Devils" and prevent the team's decline.
"We have players who can do that. I want to mention Andre Onana, Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay in moments like that have to show leadership.
Of course Bruno Fernandes is still the captain. We have enough players with personality to step up in situations on the pitch and lead the team," coach Ten Hag shared.
The Dutch strategist also admitted that the loss of many key players in the defense such as Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, and Tyrell Malacia is the reason why Man Utd has conceded many goals this season.
"Every time you have to swap the back line it's difficult. We have a new goalkeeper coming in and every time you form a new back four, they know the rules and principles, but the habits are not the same.
"So far, I have almost never been able to play in the starting lineup as I would like. But that is never an excuse. We want to win games and have good players in the team who can do the job," said coach Ten Hag.
Talking about Marcus Rashford, the 53-year-old coach feels unhappy that the English striker is not in good form. "He is not happy with his form, but I believe Rashford will return soon.
When the team tries to play better, he will score again. I believe he will regain his scoring form like last season. Rashford is also trying to help the club get the best results," coach Ten Hag concluded.
Source
Comment (0)