Scholes brand Erik ten Hag naïve after West Ham defeated Man Utd 2-0
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has accused Erik ten Hag of being naive and failing to organise his side to properly play in big away matches.
Under Ten Hag, United have struggled to beat the perceived bigger sides on the road.
Just this season, the Red Devils have failed to get results against Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, and Arsenal.
The Red Devils suffered yet another devastating loss at the hands of David Moyes’ West Ham at the London Stadium.
Second-half goals from Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus sealed United’s fate and ensured pressure continues to mount on Ten Hag.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Scholes said, “They struggled last year in the big games last year and I also felt last year that it was naive going to good away grounds and playing with one holding midfielder and the rest being attacking.”
“That is the way he (Ten Hag) wants to play, but when you go to big teams in England, you can’t afford to do that. He’s struggled to get the balance right and they come to West Ham today, it’s another big game because you can guarantee they will be super organised.”
Scholes added, “They (West Ham) are difficult to play against but they also have the brilliant forward players that can cause you trouble.”
The 11-time Premier League winner also took issue with United’s lack of goals in recent games.
After they were unable to score vs. the Hammers, it means Ten Hag’s men have now gone four games without being able to find the back of the net – a highlight of how dismal the team has been.
Scholes remarked, “United have got real problems. Goalscoring is a real issue. It’s four games without a goal and without creating really. Second half I can’t think of a save that the goalkeeper has had to make. Sometimes you go through seasons where one or two of your forwards are struggling with confidence and can’t score goals but it’s every single one of them.”
“You talk about McTominay with six goals as your leading goalscorer, he’s a midfield player. The forward players have got to stand up, find some confidence from somewhere, and bring some threat to the team. There’s no threat in the team. You have to say it’s a very patched-up team.”
The ex-England international further stated, ” I know young Mainoo made the mistake but I thought he was very good throughout the game, very controlled and playing above his years. I thought the young centre half didn’t have too much to do but goalscoring is a real problem, they’ve got to solve that somehow.”
Scholes divulged that it’s a major concern that Marcus Rashford can’t get into the team and is struggling for form despite being brilliant last term.
He told TNT Sports that in football, the easiest thing to do is coach players how to defend as a unit but the hardest job of all is to show professional footballers how to score goals.
