Manchester United survived a scare in Cyprus last night to come from behind to beat tiny Omonia Nicosia 3-2 in the Europa League.
Erik ten Hag’s substitutions saved the day after the home team took a surprising half-time lead. Marcus Rashford grabbed a brace and Anthony Martial scored his team’s second as United avoided an embarrassing evening.
Despite the result, the performance clearly did not please Ten Hag, who made a damning admission about his team’s current level after the match, as reported by Eurosport.
“We have to continue and each time learn the lessons and give the maximum, because only good for me is good enough, and right now, by far, we are not that good.” he said.
The coach once again questioned the standards at the club. Ten Hag will expect major improvements from him in the coming months, both in attitude and quality.
It is not the first time that the attitude of these United players has been questioned and the lack of enthusiasm was evident in the first goal they conceded last night.
Ten Hag singled out the intensity of United’s actions on the pitch as the main point of failure in the pair of recent poor performances.
“I think the main issue is, and that’s what we’ve done in games before much better: intensity. We have to bring intensity to the pitch every game. That was the big difference between City and us,” he said.
The United boss went on to say that players must take responsibility for the desire they bring to games and it is something he demands of them, every game.
“That’s the demand for our team, for all of our players, you have to take responsibility for that.”
Last night’s win keeps United in second place, three points behind Group E leaders Real Sociedad, who maintained their 100% record in the competition with a win against Sheriff.
It looks increasingly likely that United’s trip to Spain on Matchday 6 will determine who qualifies directly for the round of 16 and who will need a playoff to reach the same stage of this season’s Europa League.
Matches are fast approaching for Ten Hag’s side, who continue their busy October schedule with a trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton on Sunday at 7pm.
