Erik ten Hag’s Tactical Move on Anthony Martial Backfires as Newcastle Secures 1-0 Victory
In a game marked by tension on and off the pitch, Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, admitted to adopting an “aggressive” stance with Anthony Martial during their clash against Newcastle, a move that ultimately failed to prevent a 1-0 defeat.
As Newcastle dominated in the first half, Ten Hag directed his frustration towards Martial, who openly expressed his discontent with the manager’s complaints. Rasmus Hojlund was subsequently instructed to warm up, and despite the Dane going through his paces at halftime, Martial returned for the second half.
The turning point came in the 55th minute when Anthony Gordon scored the solitary goal of the game, prompting Ten Hag to replace Martial with Hojlund just six minutes later.
Addressing the situation, Ten Hag clarified, “It’s not about Anthony Martial, it’s about the team. I try to energize the team and try to get a reaction from the team in this moment. As you see, we had a tough period, and when you’re coaching, you are a little more aggressive, so that’s normal.”
Newcastle’s victory marked the conclusion of three consecutive away games for Manchester United, who managed to secure one win, one draw, and suffered one defeat during this spell. The defeat against Newcastle sees them drop to seventh place in the Premier League table, leapfrogged by the victorious Newcastle side.
Looking ahead, Manchester United is set to host Chelsea on Wednesday night in the first of three consecutive home fixtures. Despite the setback, Ten Hag expressed confidence in a positive response from his players, stating, “I am sure they will pick this up, I am sure they are resilient and they have the character to do this.”
Acknowledging the need for improvement, Ten Hag affirmed, “I will talk with my team about the reasons, but we have to do better. And, as I said, I am sure they will pick this up. We have seen good performances in the week against Everton and Galatasaray, and you always want to play the perfect game every game, but you have so many games in a short period; you can also have a less good performance. And now we have to pick this up.”
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