EPL 2022-23: 'Brentford was more hungry' - Erik ten Hag after Man United's abysmal show
Manchester United was brutalised as it suffered an embarrassing 0-4 defeat to Brentford in the 2022-23 EPL Matchday 2 game on Saturday. Erik ten Hag feels that Brentford's hunger was too much for United.
FollowEnglish giants Manchester United keep proving that they are nothing more than a fallen giant every passing season in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. On Saturday, it was up against Brentford in Matchday 2 of the English Premier League (EPL) 2022-23 away from home. To everyone's dismay, the hosts hammered 4-0, sealing the fate of the tie in the opening half itself. The Red Devils were initially drubbed twice following goalkeeper David de Gea's twin howlers. The Bees rode on the momentum and exploited the pressure on the opposition to hammer a couple more. Trailing 0-4 at halftime sealed the fate of the tie. Meanwhile, United head coach Erik ten Hag lauded Brentford's hunger.
"I subbed three, but I could've changed them all. We want to bring some fresh energy to the game, so not specific to the ones we sub because I don't think that's honest to them. We all have seen the game, and Brentford was more hungry. We have to question that, and we will do it in the coming hours. You can have a good plan, but we had to put the plan into the bin," said ten Hag after the thrashing.
Ten Hag also admitted that United was naive in its gameplay and said, "I don't want to play from the back when it's not possible. It was naive how we played today. You have to play more direct. We attracted them. The space was high up the pitch, you have to do that option, but that is what we didn't do. We will learn, we will have to learn, it's not good enough, and it's not the level and the standard of how we want to act."
In comparison, de Gea took the blame for the defeat after his twin howlers, saying, "I think I cost three points to my team today, to be honest. After the first and second mistakes, it was tough for the team to play. It was a horrible day. We should react better, but at the moment we are living now, it's tough every time we concede a goal."
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"I should have saved the shot, and probably the result will be different. We are unlike other teams that concede a goal, and they [opponents] win 5-1 or 6-1. It doesn't matter if they make a mistake. It is why I think today I cost three points. Because it was easy to save, and it was 1-0 for them, I feel the team was already going down, down, down," concluded de Gea.
