Erik ten Hag has increased his sessions with Manchester United’s club psychologist in the aftermath of the 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool.
The Red Devils had been in excellent form before they played at Anfield, but they had a nightmare afternoon on Merseyside.
Going down 1-0 to a Cody Gakpo goal was one thing, but giving up six goals in a second-half capitulation made the Dutch head coach furious as he thought about the best way to make sure such a disastrous outcome never occurs under his watch again.
Ten Hag was concerned by the frail attitude displayed by his players against Liverpool, according to reports from the Daily Mail to the editors of www.atspo.com, which sparked a vigorous practice on Monday morning.
The emphasis was on moving forward rather than reflecting on the defeat, so Ten Hag refrained from playing the 7-0 loss in its entirety but did choose a few clips to enrage the audience.
This came after he ordered his players to sit in silence at Anfield after full-time to listen to their archrivals celebrate.
“I said in the dressing room that their performance was not acceptable; it was clear. But it’s only one game, though a big defeat, and unacceptable, especially for our fans, especially against Liverpool,” Ten Hag said after the match.
The Dutchman is said to have demanded silence in the away dressing room so that Manchester United players could hear Liverpool’s celebrations, and the morning after the defeat, Ten Hag forced his players to watch embarrassing clips of the game in order to rile them up.
According to the Red Devils’ manager, more sessions with sports psychologist Rainier Koers will help prevent future disasters.
“We will bounce back. This team is strong enough to go, reset itself, and bounce back. I know my players; they are good people and can bounce back, which they will do,” Erik ten Hag disclosed.
