Benni McCarthy on Erik ten Hag: 'Lacks a bit of fire and passion'

The former Manchester United coach, Benni McCarthy, recently criticized United's head coach Erik ten Hag. McCarthy, who joined Ten Hag's coaching staff two years ago and left the club in the summer to take up a senior position, sees the Dutchman as a tactical genius, but believes he lacks passion. According to McCarthy, an important element in modern football is the emotional connection between the coach and players. "I believe the players want to see more passion in their coach. They need to feel that the coach is fighting alongside them," McCarthy said in an interview. Following the recent 0-3 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, which dropped Manchester United to 12th place in the Premier League, Ten Hag is under significant pressure. The defeat to the Spurs was the second consecutive home loss, after Liverpool also beat them 3-0 a month ago. Ten Hag himself showed composure after the lost game and emphasized that his team "needs a bit more time" to gel. When asked if he was concerned about his position, he replied, "No, I'm not thinking about that. We all made the collective decision to stay together in the summer, following a clear review of what we needed to improve as an organization." McCarthy, currently preparing for United's Europa League trip to Porto, where he spent three and a half years as a player, also questioned the training standards at United. "If some of the Manchester United players had what Bruno (Fernandes) and Diogo (Dalot) have, it would have been easier to achieve good results. They trained with incredible focus. Some of the others did not, and that limited United's progress." The upcoming Europa League match against Porto will be crucial for Ten Hag's team, having only drawn 1-1 in their first group game against FC Twente.