Manchester United drew 0-0 away to Villa in the 7th round of the English Premier League. After the match, United manager Jens Ten Hagar attended the press conference and answered reporters' questions on the team's performance, communication with the club's owner, goal-scoring dilemmas, and lineup rotation.
Ten Hag started by saying that although not many chances were created in the game, the team's control with and without the ball was excellent, with this being the fourth shutout of the season. He singled out Rashford and Bruno Fernandes for the chances they created in the game, as well as Diogo Dalot for his block at the crucial moment.
Speaking about the communication with the club's owners, Ten Hag said that they communicate all the time, talk every week and that the communication is very open and transparent. He emphasized that although the team is currently in the bottom half of the table and without a win in five matches, there is no panic internally because of the noise from the outside world, just disappointment and the knowledge that they have to do better.
As for the goal-scoring dilemma, Ten Hagar believes that there are many reasons for this, including the form of the players and the gelling of the lineup. He singled out Hoylum as the team's best scorer, but is currently not at his best physically. At the same time, he also said that other players such as Rashford, Gancho and Bruno have the ability to score goals and that the team will find the scoring touch and have an outburst.
Speaking about the lineup rotation, Ten Hagar said it was to keep the players fresh and motivated and in shape. He explained that the change in the center back combination for this game was out of rotation and felt that both Maguire and Evans were solid. At the same time, he also said that de Ligt was excellent when he came on in the second half.
Furthermore, Ten Hagar commented on Rashford's performance in the game. He believes that Rashford created two very good chances in the game, but could also have picked up a second yellow card for a foul. However, he believes that Rashford was substituted to protect the team and himself, and not because of the referee's instructions.
