Erik ten Hag has dismissed any notion that Manchester United are in “crisis,” with Premier League champions Manchester City now in their sights.

The Red Devils have lost 10 of their 22 games in all competitions this season, with setbacks in both domestic and Champions League action. A 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford, on the other hand, has moved United to sixth in the English Premier League, three points behind archrivals City, who won a historic treble in 2022-23.

Ten Hag told reporters after Scott McTominay scored the game-winning goal against Chelsea: “Crisis? We’re not interested. We are on a journey; we remain calm, we focus on the process, we know where we need to build and what we need to build on. As I have stated, we are moving in the right way and are not sidetracked by the criticism that surrounds us.

We are quite critical of ourselves; we are aware that we are not easily pleased and happy; we always want to do things better, and if we do things wrong, we want to make things right and continue in this process. And we want to keep moving forward because we know the season is long and we need to improve a lot if we want to be successful, but this team is capable of doing so.”

United captain Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty against Chelsea, but his fellow midfielder McTominay stepped up to score his sixth goal of the season, bringing his season total to six, with the Scotland international excelling in a more forward role. “Talking about the dynamics, sometimes he is deep, sometimes he is lower, but in our tactics and planning, our game plan is often that we want him to be high,” Ten Hag said of getting more out of the 26-year-old home-grown star, who has become accustomed to filling more defensive-minded positions. So the team must make it possible for him to go high, to get into positions where he is near a striker, and then to make runs.

He has a very good smell when he arrives, and he also has a very good finish, so the team must ensure that we bring the ball with him. It’s not difficult; it’s a matter of organization, so we have to get the guys in the correct locations, and it’s our responsibility to get him, which means other players have to play deeper and provide their best qualities. And it’s all about putting people in the correct spots on the field and making the most of their skills and attributes.”

United will play their next two games at home, with Bournemouth visiting Old Trafford on Saturday and Harry Kane and Bayern Munich visiting next Tuesday in a must-win Champions League encounter for Ten Hag’s side.