by Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has criticized Manchester United’s players following the Manchester derby defeat on Sunday afternoon.
Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a 6-3 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scoring hat-tricks for the home side. United scored three times in the second period through Antony and Anthony Martial’s double, but were unable to mount a comeback.
The United’s, who had won their last four league matches prior to the defeat to City, struggled to contain Pep Guardiola’s attacking players and fell eight points adrift of their neighbours as a result.
Several former players and pundits criticised United following the derby loss, and ex-France international Gallas has suggested that Ten Hag’s men were ‘terrible’ and ‘not strong enough’.
“[United were] terrible,” Gallas told Genting Casino . “You know, when you play a big derby, the first minute is very important. When you play away you need to be ready to go because you know the opponent will come at you straight away.
“You have to be ready to give 100%. When I watched the game, the Manchester United players were not strong enough.
“They couldn’t keep the ball. They couldn’t complete four passes. If you want to take anything from a game like this, you have to be better on the ball.“
Gallas also questioned the Reds’ approach to the game, insisting that the 6-3 defeat was a ‘rude awakening’ for everyone at Old Trafford after a number of much-improved performances in recent weeks.
“City will always put you under pressure, but these players play for Manchester United, they have quality,” he continued. “They should be able to keep the ball. I was surprised by their performance.
“They didn’t approach this game in the right way. They were not aggressive. This was a rude awakening for United and highlights just how far they are behind Manchester City.
“The TV cameras showed Sir Alex [Ferguson] and he looked very unhappy. It must have been very difficult for him to see his club perform like this. Players need to have the right attitude, the right spirit in a game like this and that was the big difference between the two sides.”
United have the chance to bounce back from the weekend when they face off against Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday night.
