Following their 2-0 defeat against Tottenham on Saturday, Roy Keane raised concerns about Erik ten Hag’s training tactics and criticized Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes for their immature behavior.
Tottenham dominated the second half, resulting in two goals in north London. Pape Sarr found the net from close range four minutes after the break, and Lisandro Martinez inadvertently scored an own goal towards the end of the match.
Erik ten Hag’s team struggled to pose a consistent attacking threat, with Marcus Rashford being ineffective due to playing out of position, and Alejandro Garnacho and Antony failing to make an impact on the wings. Fernandes and Mount provided little quality in midfield, leaving Casemiro exposed defensively once again.
Tottenham’s midfield, led by Yves Bissouma and James Maddison, controlled the game and created chances. Keane believes that United’s midfield’s lack of competitiveness allowed Tottenham to dominate, and he also highlighted a potential conditioning issue due to the team’s fitness problems in the closing minutes of the match.
“They simply looked lightweight,” remarked Keane, as reported by Sky Sports. “When you observe the six players high up the pitch when they are without the ball, they offer nothing.”
“You can tolerate one or two players who may not contribute much but have the ability to change the game. However, United have too many players who are not performing at their best. When these players think to themselves, ‘I’ll excuse you for not doing defensive work, but you better be exceptional when you have the ball,’ and they fall short.”
“When I see Mount and Fernandes without possession, they resemble schoolboys! They lack the physicality required to win back the ball. We constantly make excuses for them, and while we have been told that Ten Hag is a fantastic coach, we need to witness it ourselves.”
“They appeared flat in this game. I’m curious about what they are doing on the training field. Are they overworking? They don’t seem to have the necessary energy.”
“Every time I watch United, they usually have a late goal in them, but I didn’t sense that today. When it was 1-0 or 2-0, I felt the game was over, and I have never felt this way about the Manchester United team before.”