The Dutchman spoke to the media ahead of what could be his final time leading United out for a European fixture considering his uncertain future.
MUFC are also in desperate need of a win due to 2 dropped points in last week's opener against FC Twente and also need the win because the club need some positivity after the 3-0 defeat on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag says that they are "disappointed and also mad with themselves" whenever Man Utd aren't winning. However, after losing a game like Spurs, it's something that you have to deal with and use the madness you get from the loss as motivation.
He mentions how the responsibility is shared around and that as the manager, taking that responsibility starts with him. ten Hag then added that on the field "we have leadership skills and they have to stand up."
On the new football structure, Erik ten Hag says that he and they communicate everyday. Much like his Sky Sports interview that came out this morning, the MUFC boss says that "we made a commitment in the summer."
He talks about how he was the one who "appointed the staff" after the club made the decision to bring in new coaches. "We refreshed the squad as well."
During their daily talks, ten Hag says that giving him confidence isn't necessary and that what they mainly discuss is how they can improve the club.
When talking about his side's confidence, the manager says that there are enough examples that display his team's ability to show their confidence and play good football. He sites the FA Cup final and Community Shield against Man City as two games where his team showed their confidence.
United this season have displayed a lack of a cutting edge in front of goal. Erik ten Hag addressed this by saying that MUFC have the third highest xG in the league and that it's about improving in the final third, "be more killers there. Our strikers are capable of doing this."
Quotes via The United Stand on X.
Final Thoughts
I mean, if they're mad at their performance and loss on Sunday, then we should have a squad full of Hulks because this sort of performance happens too often.
They should be mad and disappointed, angry and frustrated. That's exactly how we fans feel. The only difference is that we can't do anything about it on the football field. It's up to those players and how much they want it. If they want, which is the problem. If.
That performance against Spurs was unfortunately not something we're unaccustomed to having seen several of those over the years, a few of them under ten Hag.
Hopefully they can find some motivation from somewhere and use it as fuel to get better, just as Erik said in that Sky Sports interview.
What he said about those with the leadership skills on the field needing to stand up is an eye opener.
We've complained so long about how that team appears leaderless. There's no one who stands up and leads the team whenever needed. The tough moments sees everyone disappear whether a leader or not. To not have that leadership in a football team will always mean that you have a good chance of failing.
Erik ten Hag knows that once they get onto the pitch, it's in the hands (or feet) of the players and that he can't do anything about it. Sir Alex Ferguson had many leaders who were basically managers on the field. We haven't had that since he retired or at least in the last 8 years.
It's good that he and the board communicate everyday. It's important as it helps to get everyone on the same page, something else ten Hag referenced in that interview. This communication is key as then everyone is aligned in terms of what is needed for the club.
He talks about how they (he and the board) discuss how to improve the club. The problem is that there are several areas that need improving and all of them are as important as each other although I would say that he should be asking them if they can remove some of the bad apples in the dressing room or get rid of those players that don't work hard enough, as Benni McCarthy said in his recent interview he conducted with Portuguese outlet ZeroZero.
I think that that is the area of improvement.
There are times when this team shows us that they are capable, which actually makes things worse. The FA Cup final was perhaps the best example as we didn't have the best of seasons last year and to come up against the best team in the world, the chances of us winning were little and less.
But not only did we win we deserved to thanks to our best performance of the season. This is what makes it so frustrating as we know this team is so capable of playing good football but like I said, it's how much they want it that matters. Should they turn up, we have a very good chance. If they don't, we may as well literally not turn up and give the opposition the victory and save ourselves the embarrassment.
Porto tomorrow night will give us a clear indication of where this team is at and whether they're on the same page as the manager or not.
Background Image: Erik ten Hag conducting a Europa League press conference | Creator: Ash Donelon | Credit: Manchester United via Getty Images - SuperSport