Following on from Manchester United’s horrific derby day outing at the Etihad stadium where they lost 6-3 to Manchester City, it’s all eyes on the Europa League for Erik ten Hag and his men.
The Reds travel to Cyprus as they face Neil Lennon’s Omonia Nicosia on Thursday.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ten Hag spoke about Sunday’s defeat, but believes the side will only come out fighting after the result.
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“It was a difficult day,” said Ten Hag. “We will analyse, it was a reality check, we need to learn from it and carry on.”
Prior to that, United had been on a run of four consecutive wins in the Premier League, and Ten Hag is aware that there is a long road ahead for him and his players.
He said: “You will have setbacks. We beat Arsenal, we beat Liverpool, Sunday we had a bad day at the office.
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“City were better, we have to accept that, but we can’t accept our unacceptable performance.”
The game against Pep Guardiola’s side was the second time United have conceded four or more goals this season, having lost 4-0 to Brentford in August however, there does now seem to be more of a fight for the badge within the United ranks.
There had been quite a joyful mood around Old Trafford before the international break, but Ten Hag was quick to remind people where United currently are.
Last season, United finished 35 points behind Sunday’s opponents.
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On the defeat, Ten Hag said: “Thank you for the lesson, Pep and City. We have to understand, we have to do things much better.”
Bruno Fernandes also reflected on the loss, saying: "We had those four consecutive wins, and now we have this setback, but it hasn't changed our ideas, our way of play and what we want to do as a team.
"I think it's a process. We have had three months with the manager, the team is doing well.
"It is tough, because it's a derby, but now is the time to get back and win tomorrow."
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Fernandes also confirmed reports of the meeting that the players and staff had after the defeat, and outlined one key reason for the defeat.
We had a meeting, we went to see the tough things, our mistakes," Fernandes revealed. "After the game I said, we conceded three goals on the counter against a team that plays with possession.
"We could have avoided that - we didn't. We know the mistakes and we can't repeat them."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, Erik Ten Hag, Manchester City