Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, harshly questioned his team's 'passion' and 'drive' following their Europa League loss to Sevilla on Thursday night.
Youssef En-Nesyri capitalized on a poor pass from David de Gea to Harry Maguire under pressure to give United a dismal start after they had already lost a 2-0 lead late in the first leg due to two own goals. Following a corner goal by Loic Bade, En-Nesyri scored Sevilla's second and the team's third thanks to a disastrous De Gea miscue far from the goal.
But United barely even showed up for the entire 90 minutes against the unfriendly Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
"It's obvious. It's really challenging to win a football game when you make blunders like that, Ten Hag told BT Sport after the game.
"The expectation is that we must perform better. We lacked composure and serenity. We didn't beat the press because doing so leaves you with a huge gap, and it was clear from the beginning how to accomplish it.
"We lost the battles because they showed more fervor, drive, and determination; it's hard to win games like that. We are unable to escape it. We have another chance on Sunday [against Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final] and need to step up and display more character and individuality.
Due to a ban, United were missing Bruno Fernandes, and preferred starting center backs Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were both injured.
Ten Hag stated, "It's not about [the guys who were absent], it's about the players on the field. "They must deliver. I trust and believe in them, but they need to prove it, and they fell short.
"We have always displayed positive qualities, but we weren't prepared for the game. Playing for Manchester United at this level requires you to be prepared for every game.
"We have to take responsibility for letting this fantastic chance to win something slip away. We can't change anything now that it's gone. The following opportunity is on Sunday, therefore we must be hopeful.
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