In part two of the press conference before the City match, there was talk of Pep Guardiola, the plan to stop Haaland and the January window and the continuation now that Weghorst is a United player.
First, Ten Hag was asked about the 3-6 loss at the Etihad in the autumn and whether the Dutchman thought that the team was not brave enough then and what will be the message to the team on Saturday.
– Yes, but it is more important to address how we should play and think about what it really is to be brave?
– It is always about a way of playing, giving each other options when we are in possession of the ball, evaluating the options and making the right decisions. That is what it means to be brave. A team that shows that they are heading in the same direction and have the same ideas in every situation.
On par with City
Later, Ten Hag was asked if there is anything that can be learned from Pep Guardiola, who he also worked under at Bayern Munich when Guardiola was manager of the German giant club.
Ten Hag first came up with a short answer:
– There is too much to talk about and far too little to be able to shorten to a 30-second answer.
As a follow-up, Ten Hag was asked to summarize the best points.
– It’s about being proactive. Football at the highest level is about results, but everyone wants to do it in their own unique way, and you also have to entertain. Top football is about winning, but at the same time entertaining the fans who are the ones you play for.
Furthermore, the questions turned to Guardiola’s statements, which earlier in the week were about the Spanish City manager saying that he would come up with something very clever against United – before he played it all down at the press conference on Friday and said it was all a joke.
The journalists then asked whether Ten Hag felt this could be similar to what Sir Alex Ferguson was doing before big matches during his time as United manager. Ten Hag did not allow himself to be particularly conspicuous.
– I don’t care what he thinks, but I think he does it often and we were prepared for it. We follow our principles and rules regardless.
When it comes to how Haaland is to be stopped, those present wonder if it will be Lisandro Martínez who gets the task of taming the Premier League’s top scorer – something he did brilliantly when Ajax met Dortmund in the Champions League last season.
– That he is a very good player is quite clear, but we also have good players and I am convinced that our players are more than good enough to be fully on par with the players from Manchester City.
Many players in rapid development
When the press conference was held, the transfer to Wout Weghorst had not yet been confirmed and Ten Hag said he would be satisfied with the balance in the squad with Weghorst in.
– When we manage to land this with Wout (Weghorst) – which was confirmed by United on Friday evening – I will be very happy as it is a player we need for balance in the squad.
– If more opportunities arise, we are ready to look for that as well, but it has to be the right player and then we have to look at the development of the players we already have. Alejandro Garnacho is the best example, but then you also see this week that we have some good players in Kobbie Mainoo and Facundo Pellistri. There are players who are going to fight for playing time, which they have to earn through training. They have to compete and prove themselves – and if they do – we don’t hesitate to give them the chance to contribute to the team with the high standards we have.
