Ten Hag Clarifies Poor Substitutions as Man United Surrender 2–0 Lead Against Tottenham

On April 27th, Erik ten Hag clarified his faulty substitutions during the game against Tottenham Hotspur. In the second half, Tottenham made a comeback in front of their home supporters, leading Manchester United to squander a 2-0 lead. 

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were instrumental in helping Manchester United take the lead, leaving Tottenham fans anxious of experiencing another embarrassing defeat, following their meltdown against Newcastle in the previous game.

Nevertheless, Pedro Porro, who was signed in January, scored a goal for Tottenham after halftime. Despite having a few opportunities to equalize or take the lead, Spurs failed to capitalize on them.

Despite United's lead, ten Hag made a surprising decision by substituting Sancho and Cristian Eriksen shortly after the hour mark, even though they had performed well that night. Fred and Anthony Martial came on to replace them. Ten minutes later, the Dutch coach made another questionable decision by substituting Aaron Wan Bissaka with Tyrell Malacia.

Bissaka is regarded as one of the world's top defenders when it comes to one-on-one situations, and it's crucial to have him on the field when trying to defend a lead. On the other hand, Malacia, who filled in for Bissaka, was responsible for Spurs' second goal as he left Harry Kane with an abundance of space to set up Heung-min Son with ease.

Sometimes it feels like Ten Hag makes subs for the sake of it. Why would anyone in their right mind bring AWB off when DEFENDING A LEAD?

— . (@utdcynical) April 27, 2023

 Despite his team dropping points, ten Hag remained steadfast in his ideas and defended them, even though they contributed to the outcome of the match.

"If you have seen the game, you have seen also in the period after half time we lose control in the game and I prepared the subs already before the 2-1 and you could see that goal coming.

"With Fred, you bring energy, one who can win the ball. On Sunday, he was brilliant. And with Martial, you bring one who can keep the ball and you can have Rashford, Antony and Bruno make runs behind and that was the idea." as quoted by MEN.

 Following the draw, Manchester United now sit in fourth place, holding a six-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, who have played two additional games.