Erik Ten Hag insists Manchester United are fighting together to try to turn their season around.
The Red Devils have lost four of their first six matches, with Wednesday’s 4-3 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League following a 3-1 reversal against Brighton, leaving Ten Hag embattled little over a month into the new campaign.
The Dutchman said: “It’s my second year. I know it’s not always only going up, you will have your gaps and you get stronger from it as long as you stay together, and that’s what we’re doing.
“The dressing room, staff, all the staff, coaches, medical, everyone is united and at United you fight.”
Stories of disgruntlement in the dressing room have begun to appear while the attitude of players has also been question.
Ten Hag tried to paint a positive picture, saying: “I don’t know if it’s a leak but I know opinion, I know my players. Everyone can make suggestions, we are OK with it.”
There have also been suggestions of unhappiness at the influence of Ten Hag’s agent, Kees Vos, and his Sports Entertainment Group on transfer dealings.
“It can’t be because we make very good agreements about it from the start, how we cooperate in that manner,” said Ten Hag. “For player decisions, transfers, it’s always 50-50, we both have a veto – the club, represented by John Murtough, and me. So there can never be a distraction.”
United’s poor form has made Saturday’s trip to Burnley a high-pressure occasion, and they will again be without Jadon Sancho, who remains absent from the squad.
“It depends on him,” said Ten Hag. “For the rest, we are preparing for Burnley and that’s our focus. He will not be in the squad.”
United have not been helped by a multitude of injuries but could have Raphael Varane, Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat and Harry Maguire back for the clash at Turf Moor.
Central to United’s problems has been a lack of defensive solidity, with 14 goals conceded in their last five games.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana held his hands up after making a mistake for Bayern’s first goal but Ten Hag believes the problems are collective.
“It’s about team and, as a team, we don’t have the results in this moment so then also individuals don’t bring the performance you expect, not only one player, there are more, including the manager,” he said.
“I always tell my players we attack with 11 and we defend with 11. When one or two are not doing their job, it’s like a pack of cards, so that is not only one or two players.”
Burnley picked up their first point on their return to the Premier League against Nottingham Forest last time out and Ten Hag is a fan of their style of play under Vincent Kompany.
He said: “As always, it’s about how we play against Burnley. There’s no easy games, definitely not against Burnley.
“We know how intense they play football, we know their approach. I like the approach from them, the adventure, high intensity and dynamic in their game, so we have to play our best.”
Tottenham 2-1 Burnley: Clarets down as Van de Ven boosts Spurs' top-four hopes
Burnley's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed as a late Micky van de Ven winner clinched a 2-1 home win for Tottenham on Saturday.
Vincent Kompany's men had to win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to keep their survival hopes alive, and it looked possible when Jacob Bruun Larsen fired the Clarets ahead in the first half.
However, Pedro Porro struck to level, before Van de Ven rifled home with eight minutes to play to condemn Burnley to the second tier and boost Spurs' Champions League hopes.
It's a result that ends Spurs' run of four straight defeats and leaves them four points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with two games to play.
Burnley nearly got their noses in front after just five minutes, though Guglielmo Vicario was equal to Vitinho's header, while Brennan Johnson saw an effort well-saved by Arijanet Muric up the other end in a frenzied start.
The Clarets took the lead with 25 minutes played, persistent work from Sander Berge allowing Bruun Larsen to latch onto the Norway international's throughball before slotting past Vicario.
Burnley's lead didn't last long, though, Porro driving into the box before unleashing a powerful finish into the back of the net.
Wilson Odobert nearly restored his side's advantage after the break as his thunderous effort was tipped over by Vicario as Burnley looked for a lifeline.
Muric kept out James Maddison at the other end with a brilliant stop, before also denying Kulusevski with Spurs looking to turn up the heat.
The hosts did find a winner late on, Van de Ven taking the ball into the penalty area before coolly slotting home to send Burnley down and keep his side's slender top-four chances alive.
Burnley down despite late surge
A run of just one Premier League defeat in nine games across March and April had given Burnley some slender hopes of survival, but they were simply left with too much to do as defeat at Spurs ensured they would be playing second-tier football next season.
After romping to the Championship title last term, some had lofty pre-season hopes for Burnley, but the Clarets have won just five league games all season, not enough to keep them in the division.
Burnley's relegation is their fifth from the Premier League, and Kompany has work to do if they are to bounce back in similar one-season fashion as they did so impressively last term.
Van de Ven secures much-needed three points
Villa are floundering, winless in four in all competitions and losing three of those outings. However, Spurs had previously been unable to put any kind of pressure on Unai Emery's men as they endured a run of four straight defeats at an inopportune junction in the season.
It appeared Spurs would stumble further with a home draw against a bottom-three side, but Van de Ven's crucial late winner has somewhat turned the heat up on Villa ahead of their games against Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
Ange Postecoglou's men accumulated 2.5 xG (expected goals) to Burnley's 0.75, and Van de Ven's strike means Spurs have now won eight of their nine Premier League home meetings with Burnley. The result also ensures Postecoglou avoids becoming the first Spurs manager to lose five top-flight outings in a row since Osvaldo Ardiles in 1994 (seven).
Newcastle United 1-1 Brighton: Longstaff salvages point for Magpies
Newcastle United came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Brighton at St. James' Park in the Premier League on Saturday.
Sean Longstaff reacted quickly to turn in an equaliser on the stroke of half-time, ensuring Newcastle maintained a 100 per cent record of scoring at home in the league, after Joel Veltman had given the Seagulls the lead.
Anthony Gordon thought he had slotted in the winner late on, only to be denied by the offside flag.
The point leaves Newcastle in sixth, three points clear of Chelsea below them, while Brighton move about Bournemouth into 10th.
Brighton soaked up an early spell of Newcastle pressure before turning the tide, sparking both sides into action. A corner in the 17th minute saw Veltman fire home from close range as he was left unmarked at the back post.
The Magpies grew back into the tie though, with Bart Verbruggen forced into a reflex save on his goal-line to keep out Dan Burn’s thumping header.
At the other end, Julio Enciso missed two golden chances – he got caught under a header that looped over the bar before watching a low shot trickle wide of the left post.
Verbruggen made another superb save to keep out Alexander Isak’s volley, but he could do nothing about Longstaff’s first-time finish down the middle minutes later, on the stroke of half-time.
Newcastle’s best chance of a winner in the second half was almost gifted to them. Tariq Lamptey slid in to stop Anthony Gordon from getting a tap-in, but Verbruggen was instead required to tip the looping clearance over the bar.
Jacob Murphy and Enciso both saw tame shots saved at either end before Harvey Barnes came off the bench to blaze a first-time shot high over the bar from close range.
In the 86th minute, Gordon thought he had scored the deciding goal, slotting into an empty net after being teed up by Miguel Almiron, but the Paraguayan was offside, and it did not stand.
Magpies earn perfect home scoring record
For the first time in Premier League history, Newcastle have scored in all 19 of their home matches.
Longstaff’s equaliser ensured that Eddie Howe’s side hit the back of the net in 100 per cent of their matches at St James’ Park for the first time since 1982-83, while they last did so in the top-flight back in 1958-59.
Newcastle have scored 79 Premier League goals this season, already their highest-ever tally in a 38-game season.
Brighton struggle for attacking flair
Since beating Sheffield United 5-0 in mid-February, Brighton have struggled in front of goal, scoring just six goals, and never more than once in each of the 11 games that have followed.
With top-scorer Joao Pedro out for the last games of the season through injury, Welbeck and Enciso were the main attacking threats, though neither could beat Dubravka.
Brighton had 15 shots against Newcastle, with five of those falling to Enciso, but it was another frustrating day in attack for Roberto De Zerbi's side.
Everton 1-0 Sheffield United: Toffees extend unbeaten run
Everton secured a 1-0 victory against Sheffield United at Goodison Park thanks to Abdoulaye Doucoure’s seventh Premier League goal of the season.
The Toffees were already assured of safety heading into Saturday’s contest, but they kept their positive run of form going against their already-relegated opponents.
Doucoure enjoyed a host of chances in the first half before his breakthrough arrived in the 31st minute after good play from Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Ben Brereton Diaz looked bright for the away side in the second half, but he couldn’t help mount a comeback for Chris Wilder’s men, who will finish the season in 20th place.
Dwight McNeil’s floated delivery to the back post should have led to a goal after he found the head of Doucoure in space in the 11th minute, but he failed to divert his effort into the back of the net from a few yards out.
Just minutes later, Doucoure was presented with another gilt-edged chance as he arrived in the box one-on-one with the goalkeeper from Calvert-Lewin’s cutback, but Wes Foderingham spread himself well to make a superb stop.
The Toffees eventually opened the scoring in the 31st minute after Calvert-Lewin latched on to a throughball from McNeil before rounding the goalkeeper, and he picked out Doucoure inside the box to head into an empty net.
Brereton Diaz found himself in space on the edge of the penalty area after the break as the Blades searched for an equaliser, but his shot flew into the stand behind the goal.
Shortly after, the lively Brereton Diaz broke into the Everton box and looked to create a goalscoring opportunity, but a strong last-ditch challenge from James Tarkowski prevented a shot on goal.
Wilder’s side continued to push in the final stages of the game, and Cameron Archer was allowed space to turn on the edge in the 80th minute, but he dragged his shot wide as the Blades were on the end of another loss.
Everton's unbeaten run continues
Since losing 6-0 to Chelsea, Everton have won four and drawn one of their five Premier League games - their longest unbeaten run of the season.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has now kept 12 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, with that his second most in a single campaign after 2018-19 (14).
The Toffees remain in 15th place in the table after picking up the victory, one point ahead of Brentford as they aim to finish as high as possible now safety is confirmed.
101 goals conceded for the Blades
Sheffield United have conceded 101 Premier League goals this season - just the second side to do so in a single campaign in the competition after Swindon in 1993-94. In a 38-game (or less) English top-flight season, only Darwen (112 in 1891-92) and Leicester City (102 in 1908-09) have shipped more.
The Blades will end the season in 20th place in the Premier League table, regardless of their result on the final day, with the Yorkshire side now preparing for at least one season back in the Championship.
Wilder and his team will host top-four chasing Tottenham in their last fixture of the campaign, with the Bramall Lane faithful getting the chance to see their side for the final time this season.
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