Four things Erik ten Hag got wrong today as Man United lose tense encounter with Newcastle
Manchester United were beaten by Newcastle for the second time in a month as they fell to their sixth Premier League defeat of the season at St James’ Park.
Anthony Gordon grabbed the only goal of the game, though in truth the Magpies could have scored three or four. The visitors had just 40% of the ball and spent much of the evening chasing their opponents around the pitch as Eddie Howe’s men peppered Andre Onana’s box.
With the stench of Wednesday dreary 3-3 draw with Galatasaray still stinging United’s nostrils, Erik ten Hag had a few big decisions to make ahead of tonight’s frosty clash in the even frostier north-east. Here’s how he got on, starting with the things he got wrong.
While Rasmus Hojlund hasn’t exactly hit the ground running at Man United, he was surely the man to lead the line from the off today, particularly given the quality – or lack thereof – of his alternative, Anthony Martial.
The Frenchman strolled around the pitch looking typically uninterested, and even had on-field tizzy with Ten Hag after being blamed for not tracking back as Newcastle sprang a counter attack. Given the energy and physicality of Howe’s side, picking a lackadaisical Martial over a hungry Hojlund with a point to prove was an unquestionable mistake. The ex-Monaco man was hooked, to precisely no one’s surprise, on 61 minutes.
