Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has suggested that his side need to improve their second-half performances if they stand any hope of continuing their good recent run.
The Red Devils moved up to fifth in the Premier League standings with their slender victory over West Ham United - Marcus Rashford proving to be the match-winner with his 100th goal for the Old Trafford club.
The win leaves United just one point behind the current top four having played a game fewer than those above. Amid the club’s impressive recent run under Ten Hag, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola suggested that the Red Devils are “coming back” - albeit with eight points still separating the two local rivals.
Having been probed about the Spaniard’s comments, Ten Hag insisted that it was still too early to back his side for a potential title tilt before demanding improvement from his side in the second-half of matches going forwards.
He said: "It’s [Guardiola’s comments] a little bit too quick. Second half [against West Ham] I have to be critical, we have to manage things better.
“The spirit is fabulous, we have the qualities to score goals, attacking football, the effectiveness we need to improve that. If we keep going we’re in the right direction but to track them we have a long way to go."
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The Red Devils displayed their trademark feature of struggling after the break against Old Trafford on Sunday against West Ham. They came under immense pressure with David De Gea called into action on a number of occasions to deny the likes of Kurt Zouma and Declan Rice.
That new-found stubbornness was certainly a welcome relief to the Red Devils having habitually struggled to get over the line in a number of matches this season. Ten Hag’s men have conceded second-half goals to the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Sociedad and Omonia Nicosia over recent weeks.
They will certainly hope that their defensive resilience can be called upon on a few more occasions ahead of the World Cup. United take on Real Sociedad in their final Europa League group game in midweek and must win if they are to avoid a potentially tricky playoff tie to reach the next round.
They then face Aston Villa in the Premier League before taking on Unai Emery ’s troops again just four days later as they kick-off their latest venture into the Carabao Cup.
Their final assignment before the mid-season break sees them tackle Fulham at Craven Cottage in a fortnight’s time. United will certainly be hoping to put themselves in a positive position ahead of time as Ten Hag attempts to improve on the Red Devils’ sixth-placed finish last term.
