On Saturday, Manchester United’s tenuous recovery will be put to the test in the derby. However, coach Erik ten Hag won’t be rid of the headlines off the pitch for the time being
For all matches this weekend, the Premier League has ordered that the late Three Lions and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton be honored with a sustained round of applause before kickoff. After the ugly scenes that took place at the Etihad Stadium on the anniversary of his death itself, this moment of remembrance will be under particular scrutiny at Old Trafford when ManUnited hosts city rivals ManCity on Sunday.
And there are plenty of other things at stake as well. The visitors, who continue to trail leaders Tottenham by a narrow margin in the table, don’t want to blow another top-flight game after their 1-0 loss at Arsenal three weeks ago. “I want my team to prove that they have the right mentality,” coach Pep Guardiola demanded, saying the win was secondary for now.
Ten Hag: “We have the most ball recoveries in the league “
On the other hand, ManUnited’s recent tenuous resurgence – three narrow wins in the Premier and Champions League – is being put to the toughest test imaginable. “We are moving in the right direction,” Erik ten Hag said Friday. “In possession, we are not yet consistently at the level we could be. In pressing we are already pretty good, we have the most ball recoveries in the Premier League. But we don’t use that in the switching moments. That has to develop. “
How far away United are from City? “Six points at the moment,” ten Hag said dryly, and Guardiola also verbally made the gap smaller than it has been for years. “The quality of their individual players, their stadium, their character, their momentum” – he had them in mind as championship rivals, despite their eighth-place finish.
Onana takes Garnacho to task after post
If only it weren’t for these constant distractions off the pitch. After the kerfuffle over Antony being accused of domestic violence and Jadon Sancho continuing to refuse an apology after his coaching criticism on Platform X and therefore remaining suspended, now Alejandro Garnacho opened the next sideshow.
Because the 19-year-old attacker “celebrated” penalty hero André Onana via X with two gorilla emojis after the 1-0 win over Copenhagen, he faces a fine from the English Football Association, even though Onana has already publicly defended his teammate against any accusations of racism. “People can’t choose what I’m offended by. I know exactly what Garnacho meant: Power and strength.”
Ten Hag also expressed “no concern” about the incident. But one may assume that he is getting fed up with having to deal with such issues at all.
