Erik Ten Hag exhales a sigh of relief, urges Manchester United to prioritize rule adherence

On Saturday night, Manchester United defeated Burnley to finally snap their terrible run of form, but Erik ten Hag still expected more from his players.

Chirag

September 24, 2023

Erik ten Hag expressed his relief as Manchester United secured a crucial three points against Burnley, acknowledging that there’s still significant room for improvement to salvage their season. Heading into the clash at Turf Moor, the Red Devils had endured a challenging start to the season, losing four of their first six games across all competitions.

Despite Ten Hag’s earlier criticism of his team during their struggles, he found more satisfaction after the encounter with Burnley. The pivotal moment came in the form of a remarkable first-half volley from captain Bruno Fernandes, widely considered a goal of the season contender.

Upon the final whistle blown by referee Tony Harrington, Ten Hag visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, he conceded that this victory marked just the beginning of United’s efforts to bounce back from a challenging year.

“It was clear. Of course we needed that win. We had a tough run of games against good opponents. It wasn’t necessary to lose those games. Today was must-win,” remarked the United manager in an interview with BBC Sport.

Ten Hag commended the team’s collective spirit saying “The team spirit and how they fight together [was impressive]. It was a team attacking with 11 and defending with 11. They supported each other. A lot has been against us, like injuries and decisions. Like tonight.”

“Murphy’s Law where everything goes against us. You have to fight and find a turning point. It shows the dressing room is together. They fight together. In stages of the all the games we’ve played we’ve played good football.”

“We know that we have been in a tough bit of momentum, but we knew we could come back from it. Obviously today the performance was not the best, but we got the three points which is the most important thing.”

“We knew the game today would be tough. Burnley play very well and, to be honest, I don’t think that the points they have reflect how good they are. We are happy to take the win home today.” Ten Hag concluded.