S Poddar
Erik ten Hag is chocking hard on his confidence that he needs to make it through to this season with Manchester United to win a trophy, where so much pressure is exerted on his position. The Dutch manager is doing his best to salvage the season with great confidence.
After an awfully tough pre-season spell, which is best highlighted by a setback 3-0 loss to Tottenham, Ten Hag has the whole world watching him. Critics like former captain Gary Neville have already expressed their disappointment in the performance of the team. However, Ten Hag remains unmoved by this sort of pressure seen on his job. “I’m not thinking about it, I’m not anxious,” he said of the possibility of losing his job.
This is because of the sense of togetherness he has built with the ownership and management of the club during the summer. According to Ten Hag, the agreement to focus on young players in the transitional period is crucial. He explained that everybody is committed to this strategy: “We know the strategy [is to bring in] young players in a transition period”.
Despite the latest setbacks, Ten Hag still believes that the club can master adversity. Currently, after winning only two games out of six, the team is in the lowest ranking half of the Premier League table. Those were the worst results since the club moved to the Premier League. But the old-timers in the dressing room still sing to Ten the praises of a winner. “If you lose your faith, you lose everything,” he declared in his Sky Sport interview, insisting that resiliency has to be earned.
Ten Hag admitted that Manchester United is in a transitional state. He said, “For a long time, we are in transition at Manchester United. The moment I came in, we knew we had to change. We had to replace some older players.” His decision to emphasize youth development has left him with a lot of work to do but it also calls for patience on the part of the staff concerned since the new generation would take time to fit in with new tactics and culture.
While the club’s history of success is, of course, important for results, Ten Hag believes that it gives hope into the future. “Meanwhile you have to win,” he stated aggressively, “And I think we have proven in the last two years that we win.” He emphasized his record, saying, “I’ve proven in my career that always I will win”. The last six years, I have eight trophies. This winning mentality is the core of Ten Hag’s philosophy and creates a competitive team that can climb up the ladder toward success.
For once, Manchester United appealed the red card given to Bruno Fernandes against Tottenham, and he returned for the away game with Aston Villa. The team, however must navigate an important away game in the Europa League against Porto following their 1-1 draw against Twente and mounting pressure on Ten Hag and his boys.
Still, Ten Hag clings to the spirits and oneness of the group. “We see in the group, there is good spirit. Even with all setbacks [in the Spurs defeat], they kept going,” he said. That collective strength is a vital thing as the team fights to regain form. He stresses that this kind of support from the fans has been a significant motivator. You can see the fans, they are disappointed, but they kept with us and they kept supporting us from the first moment till the last moment. We are in it together, Ten Hag reflected.
Ten Hag prepared for games ahead, clear in his focus: instilling confidence into the players and maintaining collective resolve. True, he says, the season has not started off that great, but against all odds, he is confident that victory is near, much underscored by support from the very players and the fans alike. The road ahead might be a tough one, but he was determined to win.
