Erik ten Hag gives his players two days off after Manchester United’s defeat by West Ham United.
United have struggled with a hectic schedule for several months but are now looking at a clear midweek for the first time since September.
Ten Hag uses the gap to give his players some time off from Carrington so they can recharge their batteries ahead of a crucial climax in the campaign.
After losing 4-0 to Brentford in August, Ten Hag canceled a planned day off and let his players run 13.8km, the extra distance their opponents ran during the match.
But he is taking a different approach after United played their 57th game of the season at the London Stadium, given the physical strain that is taking their bodies. United have played a game every 3.8 days on average since the World Cup.
Tight turnarounds meant training in unusual places. United stayed in Seville after the Europa League defeat and flew to London the next day for a training session on the outskirts of the capital before meeting Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley 48 hours later.
After Thursday’s defeat at Brighton, United stayed in the south and had a recovery session the following morning, only to return to Manchester in the afternoon. They made the West Ham game a day trip rather than staying in a London hotel the night before.
United’s performances have fallen significantly after breaks in games but Ten Hag has resisted questions about fatigue to avoid the problem becoming a psychological factor for his players. But he has started to explain the pressure in the game.
“For the first time since Christmas these players have a full week,” he said after the 1-0 defeat by West Ham. “We need to reset, reload, get the power back and move on.
United were wiped out by Benrahma’s goal (Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
“But the tiredness is in your head. If you want, if you have the willingness, you can take it. It’s now up to the players, me and the coaching staff to be together, to have the will and the belief that we can do it and this team has it.
“You don’t have to feel sorry for yourself, stick together as a team, take responsibility as an individual, make sure you have the energy, you have the focus, then play as a team and get a result because we have proof of that all seasons.
David Moyes expressed his thoughts on the subject.
“I feel for Man United, they had to play in Brighton on Thursday and now here on Sunday,” said the West Ham manager. “I thought it took the edge off Man United tonight because of the game programme.”
United’s players will return on Wednesday to prepare for Saturday’s home game against Wolves. They are a point ahead of fourth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand and two points behind third-placed Newcastle after playing the same number of games.
United’s remaining games are then Bournemouth away and Chelsea and Fulham at Old Trafford before the FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3.
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(Photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)