Building a New Team: Erik ten Hag’s Perspective
Manchester United’s disappointing start to the season continued as they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Liverpool. Manager Erik ten Hag acknowledged that it will take time to build his new-look team and urged fans to be patient. In an effort to address the club’s weaknesses, United introduced their new £50.8 million midfielder, Manuel Ugarte, to the fans before the game. However, Ten Hag emphasized that Ugarte needs time to build his fitness and integrate into the team. He compared himself to Harry Potter, stating that he does not possess a magic wand to instantly transform the team’s fortunes.
Ten Hag highlighted the fact that several young players made their first start of the season, and therefore did not play the full 90 minutes. He mentioned the progress made by Joshua Zirkzee in the past few weeks and expressed satisfaction with his performance against Liverpool. The manager admitted that he did not expect such progress from Zirkzee just a month ago. He also mentioned the first starts of summer signings Matthijs de Ligt and Alejandaro Garnacho. Despite these positives, Ten Hag acknowledged that there is still room for improvement and that some players are still unavailable.
Looking ahead, Ten Hag remained optimistic about the team’s chances of success. He pointed out that in the past two years, United has won two trophies, and he believes they have a strong chance of adding another by the end of the season. While he acknowledged that the opponents may be ahead in certain areas, he expressed confidence that United will catch up and bounce back.
Reflecting on the 3-0 defeat to Liverpool, Ten Hag did not dwell on the positives but instead focused on the mistakes made by his team. He admitted that two big mistakes were capitalized upon by Liverpool, resulting in their loss. He emphasized the need for the team to stand up and bounce back from this setback.
One player who had a particularly poor performance was Casemiro. The midfielder gave the ball away in the build-up to both of Liverpool’s goals and was subsequently substituted at halftime. Ten Hag denied rumors that Casemiro went home during the second half and clarified that he met with him after the game. He justified the substitution by stating that it was necessary given the team’s deficit against a strong opponent like Liverpool.
Despite the defeat, Ten Hag urged fans to remain humble and move on. He recognized that the loss hurt, especially for the supporters, but emphasized the need to look ahead and continue working towards improvement. Building a new team takes time, and Ten Hag’s goal is to ensure that Manchester United becomes a strong and competitive force in the coming months.