Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United’s new coach, said he was happy when his team beat Liverpool 4-0 in the pre-season match.
The trial match titled Bangkok Century Cup 2022 was held at the Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday (12/7).
This victory felt special because it was Ten Hag’s first match as Manchester United coach.
Jadon Sancho gave United a 1-0 lead when the game had only been running for 12 minutes. Federico Rodrigues Santos and Anthony Martial brought the Red Devils 3-0 up in the first half. Man United closed the game with a 4-0 victory with an additional goal in the second half from Facundo Pellistri.
“I am satisfied today. It’s a team with great passion and we know we’re just getting started,” Ten Hag said after the match.
The Dutch coach admitted several mistakes had been made by his players. Man United’s goal is also several times the chance to concede. But from that all of his squad also created many opportunities.
The Dutch coach did not want to exaggerate the results of the trial. The former Ajax Amsterdam coach thinks there is still a lot that needs to be improved from the Red Devils for the 2022/2023 season.
“We have a lot to do. You know, Liverpool are a brilliant team. When you make a mistake defending, you are beaten,” said Ten Hag.
One of the mistakes that Ten Hag highlighted was the way Man Utd defended. Ten Hag assessed that Bruno Fernandes and his friends could have conceded three to five goals by Liverpool.
“We had a few situations. We didn’t act well. And they immediately had so much pace they played, so we conceded about three, four, five very good chances. So we have a lot of work to do,” said Ten Hag.
Ten Hag holds several records from the match, namely working hard to minimize mistakes. He admits that he has good players in his team. He claims to have started to build the team on the right path. He was also happy with his debut match as coach of Man United.
“This will take a lot of time. I’ve seen a lot of errors. Liverpool are playing three teams, they are not at their strongest. We will not overestimate this result. But still, I’ve seen some really good stuff. A lot of speed and creativity up front,” explained Ten Hag.
Match statistics show ball possession is balanced, although Liverpool are slightly ahead at 53 percent versus 47 percent.
The Manchester United camp recorded five shots on goal from nine attempts.
Meanwhile, the Reds only four shot on target from 18 shots without a single goal being scored.
