Erik ten Hag was candid about Manchester United’s loss to Cadiz, admitting there were more flaws than positives to take away from the friendly.
The Red Devils began a mid-season trip to Spain with a 4-2 defeat against the 19th-placed team in La Liga, falling two goals down early on and trailing 2-1 at halftime.
After the interval, Kobbie Mainoo tied it 2-2, but as United made 10 changes and fielded a much younger team in the second half, Cadiz took advantage and ran out easy victors.
Following the game, Erik Ten Hag told MUTV, “It’s fairly evident we were not alert. We were sleeping in the first 15 minutes.” They posed a danger during the changeover period. We were not alert for the second goal, had a horrible rest defense – particularly in the midfield – and were run off. It’s not conceivable, and it’s intolerable.”
“The first goal was a set play, horrible organization and discipline; you lose a goal,” he continued. “After that, we fought back into the game but couldn’t equalize before halftime.”
“We are dissatisfied with this game. Of course, even when you lose, there are always some positives, but today there are more disadvantages.”
With so many of United’s top stars still in Qatar for the World Cup, some players on the margins of the first team were given a runout in the first half, but with a few exceptions, the bulk failed to impress.
Despite a couple of outstanding performances and exciting moments in the second half, the experience won. On the other hand, Ten Hag was pleased with what he witnessed from a youthful XI during the break: “They provided energy. They flee and battle, but not necessarily in the correct organization. They make errors. It was an excellent lesson for them to learn that tiny errors may have major repercussions.”
United meet Real Betis in their second and final midseason friendly on December 10 before returning to Carabao Cup action against Burnley on December 21.
