Manchester united
Manchester united competes with Liverpool. Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United will battle and compete with Liverpool in their next meeting on Sunday at Anfield.
On Sunday, he insisted that Manchester United can demonstrate that they have learned from last season’s 7-0 thrashing at Liverpool, and that the future is bright for his embattled club.
United’s recent record against the Premier League leaders is dismal, with the exception of a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in August 2022 – they have lost four of the last five encounters, surrendering 21 goals in the process.
Despite the anguish of last season’s record defeat against their bitter rivals, Ten Hag stated his sixth-placed team would be fiercely motivated against Anfield.
“It’s a fantastic place to visit,” the Dutchman stated on Friday. “We know it will be difficult, but I think every top footballer wants that challenge.”
“Last year we take that in our memory but you also have to take the benefit from it, learn from it and on Sunday we can prove that.”
Ten Hag stated that the meeting at Anfield, where Liverpool had won all of their league games this season, would be a “new game.”
“We go there and we will be confident from the start to the end,” he went on to say. “We have to fight there, we have to challenge there.”
Injury-hit United have had a miserable season thus far, having lost 12 of their 24 matches in all competitions.
They were humiliated 3-0 at home by Bournemouth last week, and they were eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday after finishing bottom of their group.
Ten Hag, on the other hand, expressed optimism about the future.
“The future for Manchester United is very good if you see how many good players we have in the squad, how many good young players we have in the squad who have really high potential to play at the top level worldwide but we have to develop that,” stated the Manchester United manager.
“I’m sure when the players return from injury this team will perform better.”
United’s poor season has increased the strain on Ten Hag, who has been working against a backdrop of uncertainty as the British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s half buyout is still pending.
However, the Dutch manager stated that he had the support of the Old Trafford leadership.
“I’m focusing on the process, I’m focusing on making the team play better, I’m focusing on making individuals better,” he was quoted as saying.
“That is my main concern.” That’s all I’m doing: concentrating on the right thing, which is the team.”
United captain Bruno Fernandes drew special criticism following the destruction at Anfield in March, and he will miss Sunday’s game after receiving his fifth card of the season for dissent.
Fernandes joins a long list of absentees that includes Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, and Tyrell Malacia, who are all injured.