ERIK TEN HAG faced yet another defeat as head coach of his old club FC Utrecht in a testimonial match on Sunday.
This follows after Manchester United‘s recent losses to Liverpool and Brighton, adding to the pressure on the Dutch boss.
RexErik ten Hag faced another defeat as head coach of his old club FC Utrecht in a testimonial match on Sunday[/caption]
RexThe match at FC Utrecht was organised to honour club icon Mark van der Maarel, who recently retired[/caption]
The match at Utrecht was organised to honour club icon Mark van der Maarel, who recently retired after a glittering 15-year-long stint at the Galgenwaard Stadium.
Van der Maarel, 35, spent his entire professional career with the club, making him a popular figure among fans and teammates alike.
The testimonial match featured a team of current Utrecht players against a squad of former players.
Ten Hag agreed to take the team of former Utrecht players for the clash at his old club.
The match provided the perfect chance for Ten Hag to get back to winning before he clocks back on to the day job at Carrington early next week.
The centre back who had to wait until just before the end of the match to score, made the final result 2-1 with a late goal.
Despite Van der Maarel’s best efforts, Ten Hag’s team lost the match with Urby Emanuelson and Ruud Boymans scoring for the opposition
After the defeat Ten Hag praised Van der Maarel, saying, “If you stay at this club for so long, you are a character. He has so deserved this.”
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Van der Maarel played 397 official matches for Utrecht after making his debut in 2009 for the Eredivisie side.
And is now third on the club’s all-time list of most games played.
Meanwhile, the defeat adds to a challenging period for Ten Hag, who has been under scrutiny following United’s recent performances.
The Red Devils suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brighton on August 24 and a 3-0 loss to Liverpool on September 1.
They next face Southampton away on September 14 where Ten Hag will hope to get his side back on track.
Man Utd player ratings vs Liverpool
MANCHESTER UNITED had a horror show against Liverpool as they lost 3-0.
Casemiro was so bad he was taken off at half-time.
But were there any positive performances at Old Trafford?
Andre Onana – 5
Nothing he could do about any of Liverpool’s goals and made a few saves to prevent the scoreline from getting worse.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
Came close to scoring in the first half and looked solid enough against Diaz although he did push up too high before Liverpool’s opener.
Matthijs de Ligt – 4
Left Diaz and Domink Szobozslai in acres of space for the opening goal but was left in a tricky spot thanks to Casemiro’s error.
Booked for a shocking late tackle on Diaz.
Lisandro Martinez – 3
Lost Diaz for the second goal which meant the Colombian was able to score unmarked from the penalty spot.
Also guilty of giving away the ball too easily and was not tight enough with his marking.
Diogo Dalot – 4
Was caught out pushing up too quickly for the first goal and did not do enough to stop Mo Salah’s cross in the build-up to Liverpool’s second.
Looked dangerous in attack at times but too infrequently as he had plenty of defensive work to do since Rashford did not track Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Casemiro – 2
A horror show in the first half as he gave the ball away in the lead up to both of Liverpool’s goals.
He was caught on the ball for the second after a shocking misplaced pass left his defence vulnerable for the opening goal. Hooked at half-time.
Kobbie Mainoo – 4
Fell victim to the Casemiro curse as he was shrugged off the ball in a terrible position, allowing Liverpool to add a third with ease.
Bruno Fernandes – 5
Was United’s most creative spark but that is not saying much. Tried to get his side going in the first half but looked short of ideas and inspiration after the break.
Alejandro Garnacho – 4
Still appears to be a little rusty and is yet to hit the heights he reached last season.
Marcus Rashford – 3
Nothing came off for the out-of-sorts forward who must be running out of chances before he is dropped.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
Quiet up-front and had little influence on the wing as well, but missed a clear-cut chance with his head and should have turned in Rashford’s cross which he met at the far post.
Subs
Toby Collyer (for Casemiro, HT) – 5
A difficult game for the youngster to make his Premier League debut but he put himself about and won a few tackles.
Harry Maguire (for De Ligt, 69mins) – 5
Shored things up at the back as Liverpool took their foot off the pedal.
Amad (for Garnacho, 69mins) – 5
Provided a spark on the right and looked more lively than Garnacho.
Christian Eriksen (for Zirkzee, 86mins) – N/A
Not on long enough to make an impact.
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