- Manchester United lost 2-1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday
- Erik ten Hag’s men have already lost nine Premier League games
- Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman give their best sporting moments of the year on It’s All Kicking Off
Richard Keys slammed Erik ten Hag as ‘deluded’ for claiming his side could have beaten Arsenal and Liverpool ahead of their defeat against Nottingham Forest.
The feel-good factor of their Boxing Day comeback win against Aston Villa evaporated on the banks of the Trent on Saturday, as Manchester United succumbed to a dismal 2-1 defeat.
Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White’s second half goals sealed Forest’s first Premier League win over United 29 years, with Marcus Rashford’s equaliser 12 minutes from time proving only a temporary reprieve for the visitors.
The defeat at the City Ground was United’s ninth in 20 Premier League games this season and their 14th in all competitions this season.
After coming back from two goals down to beat Villa on Tuesday night, ten Hag’s men were back at their worst against Forest. Sloppy in possession and too casual without the ball, United offered next to nothing until they were left chasing the game following Forest’s second.
It was a brutal wake-up call for the Dutchman, who in the lead up to the game had suggested his side could have beaten Arsenal and Liverpool away from home this season.
And Keys, who has been one of ten Hag’s biggest critics this season, didn’t mince his words on Saturday night.
‘So having said pre-match that United should’ve/could’ve beaten Arsenal, Liverpool & Villa – which clearly was nonsense – what about Forest Erik? The man is deluded,’ he posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Keys’ long-time sidekick Andy Gray struck a similar tone as he spoke to his co-host on beIN Sport ahead of the match against Forest.
‘I don’t know what he [ten Hag] is thinking,’ the former Everton striker said.
‘I don’t know what he thinks it’s going to happen.’
Keys added: ‘That for me is the most worrying aspect. What he [ten Hag] has said is just nonsense.
‘If he thinks that, then that is as big a part of the problem at Manchester United as anything else.’
In his press conference on Friday, ten Hag said his side ‘could beat anyone’ and put United’s lack of consistency down to the injury crisis that has decimated his team throughout the season.
‘We proved, despite all the setbacks, I think not any team can deal with so many setbacks as we had,” the manager said.
‘Number of points, we are not satisfied, but you have to be pleased. When we have all the players back, the squad is strong. Against Liverpool, Arsenal, Villa, the top three teams in the league, we went head-to head… we can beat anyone.’
Four days after scoring his first Premier League goal, Rasmus Hojlund missed the trip to the City Ground through illness. Anthony Martial was also unwell and Luke Shaw was unavailable along with long-term absentees Casemiro, Mason Mount and Lisandro Martinez.
Keys and Gray, however, refuted the suggestion injuries were to blame for United’s shortcomings.
‘Has every team had to cope with injuries? Yes,’ Gray said .
‘Is every team getting on with it? Yes.’
Asked by Keys ‘How many players who are currently injured would be starting?’, Gray replied: ‘[Lisandro] Martinez. Casemiro? Probably not. Anyone at the top end of the pitch? No.’
Gray also dismissed the suggestion ten Hag’s team could have beaten Arsenal and Liverpool this season.
United had a late winner ruled out by VAR at the Emirates before Arsenal struck twice in injury time to win 3-1 and drew 0-0 at Anfield two weeks ago.
They lost away to Spurs 2-0 in August and 1-0 away to Newcastle at the beginning of the month and were humbled at home by Manchester City in October, but beat Chelsea 2-1 three weeks ago.
‘He [ten Hag] says they could have beaten Liverpool and Arsenal,’ Gray said.
‘When you look at those games, did they play well enough to beat Arsenal? No, they didn’t.
‘Did they play well enough to beat Liverpool? No, they didn’t. If Liverpool had been at their best, they would lost 4-0 or 5-0 and you could not have argued with that scoreline.
‘And Villa were 2-0 up at half-time and contributed hugely to their own downfall. I was concerned about Villa’s tactics, it looked like they were asking for trouble and they got trouble.
‘Full marks for the comeback, I will give them [United] that […] but Villa played right into their hands by playing with a very loose high line.’
Despite the defeat to Forest, ten Hag remains adamant his side will improve.
‘One thing is clear, we are not consistent. We can beat the best teams in the league but not the other teams,’ he said.
‘We are showing against the top teams that we can go head-to-head. I am convinced and have a strong belief that we will improve
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
