Erik ten Hag admits he has not seen any leaders step up for his struggling Manchester United side as they prepare to face Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday.
One of many crunch decisions facing Ten Hag is whether to leave out under-performing captain Harry Maguire, just weeks after the United manager publicly backed him.
Ten Hag was keen not to single out the England defender ahead of the Liverpool clash, speaking more generally of the squad’s “leadership group.” But he has clearly been left unimpressed by what he sees as a lack of such inspirational figures in the Old Trafford dressing room.
“When the attitude is no good from the team, often the leaders are not there because they are the ones who give the example and go in front,” Ten Hag said.
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“It doesn’t have to be senior players but we have a core group who have to be the example and take the responsibility.
“This is also a process. We work with that, we started since a couple of weeks now and they have to grow.”
The desultory 4-0 loss at Brentford last Saturday led to Ten Hag ordering the players in for a day of running the next day.
The cancelled day off and punishment drills were seen by many as a calculated gamble that could backfire given the power wielded by players in the modern game.
But Ten Hag insists he hopes that the session left his stars angry – not at him, but with each other.
“I hope they are angry but angry with themselves, angry with each other that they didn’t take each other in responsibility,” he said.
“When I say it’s not acceptable, you can’t deliver for yourself, for the team, for Man United and for all the fans of Man United.
“I took the decision [last] Saturday, actually during the game, when I saw the performance. That is not the standard for Man United and actually it’s not my standard. We had to change that”
United’s meeting with their old rivals will draw uncomfortable comparisons with last season’s 5-0 hammering to Jürgen Klopp’s team signalling the beginning of the end of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s regime.
With fans scheduling protests against unpopular owners the Glazers, there is the danger of Old Trafford turning hostile if United make a poor start although Ten Hag says his players should not feel any anxiety.
“It’s not necessary because they are good players and a good team if they do what they have to do,” he said. “In football it’s not always working as planned because you have to face an opponent, but if you work hard and stick to the plan then the result will come.”
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Above all else, Ten Hag – and his new supporters – will be desperate to at least see their team show some fighting spirit in the high-profile fixture, which has been lacking to date in the new campaign.
“In every process, this element is coming up,” he said. “One of the points as a manger is that you have to work on attitude and mentality of the players.
“That’s what I’m doing. This is the first time since 27 June that I was not happy and not satisfied and I told them.
“Every manager will demand it from his players and it’s normal. It’s your obligation to the club to fight and give 100 per cent.”
Another key decision revolves – inevitably – around Cristiano Ronaldo. With Anthony Martial back in training following a pre-season hamstring injury, Ten Hag could have the option of starting the French striker ahead of the Portuguese.
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