Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant has criticised Manchester United for over-celebrating their Carabao Cup win and feels the players may have got a little carried away.
The Red Devils saw off Newcastle at Wembley back in February, with quick-fire goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford in the first half securing a 2-0 win – and the first trophy of Erik ten Hag’s reign in charge.
But United’s form has been a little more stuttering since then, with talk of a potential quadruple evaporating amid inconsistent performances in the Premier League and a humbling Europa League exit at the hands of Sevilla.
Ten Hag’s side now have Liverpool breathing down their necks in the race to secure Champions League football and need two wins from their final three matches to secure a top-four finish.
They can, however, deny fierce rivals Manchester City a famous treble when they return to Wembley for the FA Cup final next month.
Old assistant Rene Meulensteen feels it is imperative United deliver a big performance and believes the side may have started to believe their own hype after winning the Carabao Cup, suggesting they went a little over the top with their celebrations.
Speaking to Manchester United’s official Scandinavian supporters club, Meulensteen said: ‘The biggest challenge for all the players that come to Manchester United is that you cannot just turn up one game – yep, brilliant, you get all the plaudits – and don’t turn up the next.
‘That was, I felt, the strongest aspect of the team we worked with, that stability, that continuity, the consistency to constantly hit those high levels.
‘So we didn’t get carried away with a win against Arsenal or Liverpool – fine, three points, next! No problem, next! And the same thing with the Champions League, because of the travelling and how we dealt with that and the way we managed that and managed the group.
‘There was just this constant focus, not getting carried away. That was to me a little bit [of an issue after the Carabao Cup victory].
‘Fantastic that United won the Carabao Cup because that’s what every manager wants, it solidifies, it helps get the message across and you have to be happy and you have to celebrate it. But I would have not celebrated over the top.
‘I would have just said, “Great, very happy with it, pleased for the players but we’ve got a long way to go”. Don’t celebrate it like you’ve won the Champions League. And that, I think, was a little bit the case, you know what I mean?
‘And United cannot be happy just winning the Carabao Cup. So we’ve got one big chance to go against Manchester City, which will be a fantastic game to look forward to, but those are the games where you really see the measure of where we are.’
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