I wonder if behind-the-scenes Ten Hag's man management style is having a counter-productive effect on the rag players by eroding morale and confidence. I think a factor in the Man Utd performance last night was match fatigue. They were OK in the first half and fell apart at halftime by all accounts. Maybe Ten Hag laid into them at halftime and some of them thought, 'Sod it' and gave up.
Whatever occurred, the cold reality is that they are still 3rd. in the league, and heading for Champions League qualification, with the possibility of a cup double. Defeats like last night can have the opposite effect on elite teams to what you would expect - it could be the making of them, but it all depends on how good Ten Hag's man-management is. We are about to find out whether he is the proverbial one-trick pony.
Whatever occurred, the cold reality is that they are still 3rd. in the league, and heading for Champions League qualification, with the possibility of a cup double. Defeats like last night can have the opposite effect on elite teams to what you would expect - it could be the making of them, but it all depends on how good Ten Hag's man-management is. We are about to find out whether he is the proverbial one-trick pony.