Author: Soorya G
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag was forced to make harsh criticisms of his team when the Red Devils were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League after a 3-0 humiliation by Spanish titans Sevilla.
After a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Theatre Of Dreams, Moroccan striker Yousser En Nesyri scored twice to reduce Manchester United’s dreams of a second trophy this season to dust. José Luis Mendilibar’s team were decisively better than their English counterparts that day. However, the reasonably good line-up played terrible soccer, something that Sevilla took advantage of, playing in front of a crowd of 41,000 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville.
Manchester United were without their starting centre-back pairing of Lisando Martinez and Raphael Varane, who missed out through injury. Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes missed out through suspension, while Marcus Rashford started on the bench due to fitness problems. Ten Hag had no choice but to fall back on Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire in the center of defense, but the return of Brazilian maestro Casemiro was a big boost for the visitors.
The lack of Bruno Fernandes hit the visitors hard, as United’s creative deficit became apparent. Along with some unforgivable defensive errors from De Gea and Maguire, the Red Devils practically handed Sevilla a place in the Europa League semi-finals. De Gea’s questionable performance came shortly after reports emerged that the Spaniard had rejected an offer to extend his contract and is expected to leave Old Trafford in the summer. Coach Erik Ten Hag had some strong words to say about his team’s poor performance, but remained confident about their prospects in the FA Cup and Premier League.
“Of course, when you make these mistakes, it’s very difficult to win a soccer match. Tonight we weren’t ready for the game and that can’t happen. This is a great occasion and opportunity to win something and we delivered. We have ourselves to blame.”