Erik Ten Hag believes he can continue to inspire Manchester United despite their defeat to Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, remains confident in his ability to motivate his players despite their recent 1-0 defeat against Arsenal. The only goal of the match was scored by Leandro Trossard, marking his 17th goal of the season. However, Ten Hag was pleased with his team’s improvement following their disastrous 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace earlier in the week.

The defeat leaves United in eighth place, three points behind Newcastle and Chelsea, with their hopes of securing a place in Europe hanging in the balance. Despite this, Ten Hag believes he can still motivate his squad for their remaining Premier League matches and the upcoming FA Cup final against Manchester City.

The Dutchman expressed his confidence, stating, “I have no doubt about this because, as I say, maybe at Palace, but I think they are human beings. From my experience, that will always happen once in three months, you do not have the right attitude.”

Ten Hag praised his team’s fighting spirit and their adherence to the game plan, saying, “On Monday, we had such a night, but mostly this team always has the right spirit, and they always execute the rules and the principles of the game and how we want them to play. I can only be happy, I think the ones who played executed with all that they could, they were competitive and they were fighting and then you can see the result.”

The pressure on Ten Hag is mounting as United face their final three matches of the season against Newcastle, Brighton, and City. The team has been plagued by injuries, forcing midfielder Casemiro to play out of position as a centre-back against Arsenal. However, Ten Hag defended the Brazilian international, acknowledging his small mistakes but emphasizing the consequences they can have.

Ten Hag recognizes the importance of every game for a United player, stating, “For a United player, every game is a final, we have to win and perform every game. We should realize this.”

Despite the challenges faced this season, the fans of Manchester United have remained supportive. Ten Hag believes that the supporters understand the team’s circumstances and appreciate their fighting spirit, even if the results have not been favorable. He expressed his gratitude towards the fans, saying, “We have so many injuries, especially in key areas, and they don’t get what they deserve, the fans. But they understand this, and that is why I think they are behind the team. They see most of the time that this is a team that is fighting for each other, it has the right spirit, we are United and hopefully, we can pay them back in the future.”