Man Utd had a disappointing start to their preseason campaign in Norway, but this weekend they will play in a far more competitive match in Scotland.
Erik ten Hag wasn’t impressed by United’s performance in Norway (Image: 2024 Manchester United FC)
Erik ten Hag maintained that he understood why things had gone wrong at Lerkendal stadium after criticising Manchester United’s performance against Rosenborg on Monday night.
“Oh, yeah, of course, but it’s so many whys,” he replied. “I can list every justification for why we ought to perform better. Everyone around us, including the supporters, was expecting us to win and put on a show, but we were unable to do so.”
“So many whys” isn’t exactly a comforting phrase after United’s disastrous preseason campaign. Ten Hag needs to get this one right. His critique of the performance in Norway has increased pressure on matches that are normally free of that kind of load.
“Not good enough,” was Ten Hag’s impetuous response to the late loss. “This is not how elite football is done. You have to meet considerably greater requirements to play top football.”
It was a harsh evaluation of a game when performance felt somewhat more significant than outcome. With such a young roster, the goal of the first summer friendly is to improve match fitness. The final ten minutes of the first half gave United’s players the impression that they were being overwhelmed and flagging, and it was always going to be a difficult test against a side halfway through their league season.
Before Ten Hag attacked his team and demanded that standards be reached, no one in attendance was making too much sense of what had happened on the pitch. It was his first match since the FA Cup final, and maybe he was trying to send a message to Ineos as much as his teammates. He had survived a run-in with the sack. Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox, and Omar Berrada were present.
The pre-season now has more at risk as a result of the remarks. Even though it was just a friendly, United once more gave up 22 shots on goal. Their finest player by a wide margin was Radek Vitek. Ten Hag will have problems if United starts the competitive season by continuing to give teams an excessive amount of shots.
Hence, starting this weekend, the focus of the next four games will now also be on putting on some performances instead of just gradually increasing match sharpness in preparation for the Community Shield on August 10 and Fulham at Old Trafford on August 16.
Rangers and United play in the “Battle of Britain” on Saturday at Murrayfield. Even though this is the hosts’ only friendly in Scotland, they could get a lot of support, so they won’t be taking this match lightly. The match will take place in Edinburgh rather than Glasgow.
With Ibrox unavailable due to construction on the Copeland Road stand, United makes their second summertime visit to Scotland’s rugby home. They probably won’t return to their house for another three months or more if that work is delayed.
That intensifies the sense of a mini-crisis around the Rangers. They have Champions League qualifiers to aim for as well as the start of their season in two weeks, but Philippe Clement wants more talent in his team. Rangers need to sell to buy, and it’s getting harder to get rid of players.
As the Ibrox Noise website stated prior to this match: “Rangers aren’t in a good place right now, we could be as bold and maybe fatalistic to say it’s the worst place our club has been since 2018 and the early fledgling Steven Gerrard days – it’s certainly by far the worst preseason we’ve had for many years.”
That suggests a team that United can exploit. Some of the older players that were left behind at Carrington last week, such Andre Onana, Victor Lindelof, Amad, and Antony, will undoubtedly strengthen their roster. Maybe even Harry Maguire, when he’s prepared to come back.
They seem to be in need of giving a performance. The previous season was largely terrible, but it ended magnificently. Ten Hag has increased the pressure on the game, but a trip to Murrayfield won’t have the same intensity as that cup final. His guys need to answer back.
