Erik ten Hag has confirmed that he gave his Manchester United players a dressing-down during the half-time interval against West Ham in midweek, and says he will always demand the best from his team.
Ten Hag made a number of changes for the FA Cup fifth round tie at Old Trafford, and was forced to call some of his stars off the bench after United went behind before running out 3-1 winners.
Captain Harry Maguire said that Ten Hag ‘went fairly strong’ at half-time and the United manager agreed, saying: ‘What I saw was that we were not playing to our standards. That’s what I saw in the first half.
‘Then I will be tough on my team, on my players, because I demand a performance. Every day I demand a performance. I don’t accept when it’s lower, then I will criticise them and tell them what to expect.
‘Then I have to give the team solutions on how to win the game, and I think the performance in the second half was much better.’
Erik ten Hag was fuming with his Man United players at half time before they bounced back to beat West Ham
Alejandro Garnacho (red top) scored the decisive goal as United completed their comeback
Man United players were all smiles at full time after they came from behind to beat West Ham
West Ham’s Said Benrahma (centre) put the visitors ahead before United rallied late on
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Ten Hag’s no-nonsense approach has paid off. The victory saw United reach the FA Cup quarter-finals three days after lifting the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
They are also in the last 16 of the Europa League against Real Betis, and on the fringes of the Premier League title race.
Ten Hag’s side could play a total of 65 games this season if they continue to challenge on three fronts, but the manager reiterated that he believes the workload is energising his players ahead of Sunday’s trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
‘We like to play,’ he added. ‘We have energy from playing every third or fourth day. We want to keep that going but think about game by game. Now it’s Sunday.’