Ten Hag’s United future clouded, Ange woe as Spurs fold
For Erik ten Hag, it’s very simple.
“We are all on board, together, on one page,” the Manchester United manager said of his relationship with the club’s leadership after a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Only the next few days will determine whether those above ten Hag feel the same.
United head into the two-week international break on a five-match winless run in all competitions and languishing in 14th place in the league, having won just two of their opening seven games this campaign.
Ten Hag had arrived at Villa Park on Sunday under huge pressure and with the club’s minority owner, Jim Ratcliffe, having failed to say he had faith in the Dutch coach when asked specifically on Friday.
However creditable gaining a point at a revitalised Villa is, it may still not be enough for ten Hag — especially with United’s new leadership having time to weigh up his future before the team’s next game.
“We know what we are working toward — it is a long-term project and we have to keep improving the process,” ten Hag said.
Playing in front of Ratcliffe and the rest of United’s hierarchy, the visitors came closest to scoring when Bruno Fernandes struck a free kick against the crossbar in the 68th.
As a whole, Villa dominated a match played four days after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Still, United dug in, defended well and earned a point that followed a 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League. It marks a decent response to slumping to a chastening 3-0 home loss to Tottenham last weekend.
“We proved in two tough away games that this is a team,” Ten Hag said. “You saw the preparedness, the spirit but also the belief and the faith they have.”
Meanwhile, it was Tottenham’s turn to collapse.
Leading 2-0 at halftime, Ange Postecoglou watched his side concede three goals in an 18-minute span early in the second half to lose 3-2 at Brighton.
Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck were the scorers for Brighton, who were repeatedly pulled apart by Spurs in the first half in the same manner Chelsea did last week in a 4-2 win over the south-coast team.
Brennan Johnson, scoring for the sixth straight game in all competitions, and playmaker James Maddison both netted for Tottenham but some familiar failings at the back were exposed again as Brighton climbed above them to sixth place with the win. Spurs dropped to ninth.
Fourth-place Chelsea drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest thanks to Noni Madueke’s equaliser in the 57th minute at Stamford Bridge.
Forest took the lead eight minutes earlier through Chris Wood and had to play with 10 men from the 78th after James Ward-Prowse’s sending-off following a second yellow card for diving on the ball with his hands to stop Nicolas Jackson launching a breakaway.
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