Manchester United returned to action after nearly a month, and with several big names still involved in the ongoing World Cup, Erik ten Hag was forced to select a makeshift squad for their match against Cádiz.
The first half squad saw only a handful of first team stars involved like Anthony Martial, Victor Lindelof, while team players like Donny van de Beek and Anthony Elanga also got minutes.
The second half XI was made up entirely of academy graduates, and despite their best efforts, the Red Devils lost the contest 2-4 on Wednesday.
And the fringe players didn’t take their chances to disrupt the manager’s plans, as United fell behind twice in the space of the first 15 minutes.
United fight against candidates for relegation from LaLiga
The first goal came via a set piece that saw some very poor organization at the back, something Lindelof and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka should have been aware of.
The second was even worse as a simple counterattack ended in a goal. Returning from injury, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka seemed uninterested in tracking down and catching up with his man and it surely means a quick departure from the club in January.
Senior midfielders Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek were also anonymous. It was another stain on Van De Beek’s time at the club that went unseen against La Liga relegation fodder.
Erik ten Hag criticized Manchester United’s “unacceptable” performance when his team lost 4-2 to Cádiz in a friendly… pic.twitter.com/fgSCc2cG8O
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 8, 2022
“Very clear, we were not awake,” Ten Hag told MUTV. “Still sleeping. First 15 minutes. And we prepare, they are a threat in transition, we see the second objective, it can’t happen.
“You’re not awake. Bad defense but especially in the midfield they diverted us, it is not possible, unacceptable. It is also the first goal, the game prepared, bad organization, undisciplined organization to concede the goal”.
Players, regardless of their position in the team, know not to bother the current boss. He doesn’t play friendlies and takes defeats very seriously as he had indicated before the game.
ETH has a right not to be impressed with a couple of United stars
More importantly, some players who had a chance to impress considering the World Cup stars might not be available for the Burnley game should be pretty disappointed in themselves.
Van de Beek and Wan-Bissaka had a chance to start considering Portugal’s World Cup efforts, but they failed on their lines. The same goes for Elanga.
“We are not happy with this game. Of course, you always have some positive things when you lose a game, but nowadays there are more negative things”, stressed Ten Hag.
“It has to be the standard every time and, to be fair, the first 15 minutes can’t happen. That’s not our standard, it shouldn’t happen, so that’s what we’re talking about. Good [go] tomorrow again, but we have to attack it, draw a line and move on, it can’t happen in the future.”
United’s next match is against Real Betis, who are currently sixth in La Liga and that match is likely to see the manager pick a stronger squad or give the team’s players more minutes in preparation for the La Liga game. EFL Cup.
