[포포투=김희준]
There is a reason why he is designated as the successor of Sir Alex Ferguson. Manchester United manager Eric ten Haag said he never doubted his success despite his poor start.
Manchester United lifted the trophy after 6 years. On the 27th (Korean time), Manchester United won the championship by winning 2-0 against Newcastle United in the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) final.
This could be the beginning of the rebuilding of the famous family. Manchester United still have a chance to win in all competitions. In the European Football Federation (UEFA) Europa League (UEL), they defeated Barcelona and advanced to the round of 16, and also challenge West Ham United in the quarterfinals in the FA Cup. In the league, after the World Cup, they are ranked third after Arsenal and Manchester City with 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in 10 matches.
Director Ten Hagh has a lot of credit. He has overturned the game several times with astute tactical modifications. In fact, he has saved United from defeat only eight times this season. In the EFL Cup final against Newcastle last time, they completely overcame the opponent’s momentum with quick tactical responses, such as Boot Verhost’s midfield support and the replacement of Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and brought about a victory.
The early sluggishness was completely overturned. Ten Haag had raised doubts in his first two games as manager, with back-to-back losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford. In particular, the 0-4 defeat against Brentford led to criticism that Manchester United made another ‘mistake in appointing a manager’.
Even then, Ten Haag believed in himself and United. “I know it takes time before my style melts,” he said at a press conference ahead of the match against West Ham. Time doesn’t always produce the right result. So when the proper results didn’t come out early in the season, I didn’t panic knowing that was part of the process.”
It reminds me of Manchester United in the Ferguson era. At the time, Manchester United had a history of winning the championship overwhelmingly, but it was often difficult at the beginning of the season to be nicknamed the ‘slow starter’. In fact, even in the 1992-93 season, which was the first year of the Premier League, Sir Ferguson did not report victory until the 5th round. And after that, he wrote a great drama and lifted his first league championship trophy.
And for manager Ten Hagh, the sluggishness at the beginning of the season became a turning point for a rebound. After the match against Brentford, coach Ten Haag joined his players by making them run 13.8km, which is as much as the amount of activity they lacked compared to their opponents. This became an action to promote unity among the players and trust in the manager, and manager Ten Hag’s Manchester United took the first step on the rise.