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Tag: Eric Ten Hag

Five talking points as Liverpool exposes Man Utd’s issues in their preseason match

LIVERPOOL 3-0 MAN UTD: Erik ten Hag witnessed his team’s preseason struggles on both sides of the ball as Arne Slot defeated his fellow Dutchman.

When the two most successful teams in English football squared off in South Carolina, Liverpool defeated Manchester United.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool prevailed in front of 77,559 spectators at the Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, despite playing one fewer preseason game than Erik ten Hag’s United.

Liverpool defeated United with a well-earned victory thanks to goals from Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones, and Kostas Tsimikas. United was unable to compete with its rivals and lost humiliatingly in front of Saturday’ Community Shield against Manchester City.

Following the game, both teams took a direct flight home, and these are the five talking points from their most recent US tour games.

Suspect from United at the back

Ten Hag’s decision to bench Harry Maguire for the Liverpool match speaks volumes about United’s lack of defensive options in the wake of £59 million transfer Leny Yoro’s three-month absence due to injury sustained during the tour opener against Arsenal. Ten Hag is now down to three centre backs—Maguire, Jonny Evans, and Victor Lindelof—without Yoro, and he can’t afford for any of them to be hurt.

By halftime, Liverpool had jumped out to a 2-0 lead, both goals assisted by their bitter rivals, United, who had played carelessly in defence. Ten Hag is not helped by the fact that two of his makeshift back four—Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Lindelof—are set to depart for the appropriate price.

Additionally, Mo Salah presented a formidable challenge to 17-year-old left-back Harry Amass, who was forced to play in lieu of Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot. This performance made it clear why Ten Hag wants to add two more defensive players before the transfer window opens. Shaw and Lisandro Martinez will resume training this week, but before the window closes, United has to recruit another defender.

Prior to the new season, Rashford appears sharp

With so little success last season—both on and off the field—and no spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad, Marcus Rashford is expected to have a great deal of pressure going into this new season. Ten Hag urged Rashford to stay focused both on and off the pitch, and the player rose to the occasion, putting up strong performances during his tour and winning a goal and an assist against Arsenal before leading Liverpool in his final performance.

Rashford turned Jarell Quansah and left him trailing him before attempting the same move with Harvey Elliott in the penalty area, but his angled shot was pulled wide. After playing nowhere near his best the previous season, Rashford has a lot expected of him this time around. His lively first-half performance suggested he had overcome the lethargy that dogged him and is prepared to start off strong.

Mount displays hints of a return to form.

Mason Mount is another player who, following a terrible first season at United, has something to prove this next season. After joining United for £60 million from Chelsea, Mount’s first season was marred by injuries and subpar play when he was healthy. Like Rashford, the midfielder only made five starts in the Premier League and was left out of England’s Euro 2024 roster.

Similar to Rashford, Mount was a dynamic player who used cunning movement to get into some dangerous positions and breach Liverpool’s defence to generate opportunities, even though they eventually ended in nothing. Early on, he fired straight at Caoimhin Kelleher. Later, he sprinted onto a deft pass from Casemiro, but the Liverpool custodian stopped him again. Jadon Sancho then received a wonderful cross from Mount, and he ought to have headed the ball on goal.

Elliott emphasises the importance

Following Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Arsenal in Philadelphia, Harvey Elliott received high appreciation from new head coach Slot for his two assists on goals. Elliott’s dynamic and enterprising performance against United, where the attacking midfielder was at the centre of his team’s expansive showing against their bitter rivals, will have even more impressed the Anfield manager.

Elliott was undoubtedly Liverpool’s most creative and dynamic player, able to play as a No. 10 but also having the freedom to drift out wide. This suggested Elliott could establish himself as the team’s focal point, something he failed to do under Jurgen Klopp. Elliott started just 11 Premier League games in the previous season. Based on his impactful 65-minute performance, the 21-year-old will undoubtedly surpass that number this season.

United must score more goals.

United scored the fewest goals in the top 10 last season—57—en route to their lowest-ever Premier League finish of ninth. Following his early goal against Arsenal in Los Angeles, Rasmus Hojlund suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him out of the game for at least six weeks. This has caused Ten Hag a great deal of headaches over who will play up front and where the goals will come from.

While Rashford likes to start on the left and move inside, Jadon Sancho attempted to impress as a false nine against Betis and Liverpool. Joshua Zirkzee, a £36.5 million addition that United acquired from Bologna, did not go with the team; instead, he started his preseason in Manchester and is still somewhat of an unknown.

In Hojlund’s forced absence, it is consequently difficult to predict who will score goals for United. In light of this, one could argue that United needs a striker just as much as a defender, but given their restricted transfer budget due to profit and sustainability regulations, it is unlikely that they will be able to purchase both, barring a substantial revenue boost through player sales.

August 4, 2024
“we can exploit it.”- Everything Erik ten Hag has stated about Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool is that…

Tomorrow, Liverpool and Manchester United will face off in the FA Cup once more. Erik ten Hag will be under pressure because people are doubting his loyalty to Old Trafford.

Liverpool plays Manchester United in the FA Cup tomorrow, pitting old rivals against one other once more. At Old Trafford, the two teams are vying for a spot at Wembley in the semi-finals.

If Liverpool wins, their chances of winning four titles would still be alive and well before the international break. Before leaving Anfield at the end of the season, Jürgen Klopp wants to have the ideal farewell to his time there.

United, on the other hand, has a lot riding on this match. The FA Cup is the Red Devils’ final opportunity to win a trophy this season, and because a top-four finish already seems unlikely, it might be very important for Erik ten Hag’s future.

The Dutchman’s status at Old Trafford is still up in the air, particularly in light of the fact that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has successfully acquired a minority share in the team. Liverpool might thus put further strain on the United manager.

Nevertheless, Ten Hag has been promoting his team’s prospects, having already weighed in on Klopp’s choice to quit Liverpool. Below is a summary of the manager of United’s remarks regarding the Reds prior to tomorrow’s match.

“We have Liverpool to ourselves.”

Ten Hag thinks that tomorrow at Old Trafford, United can exploit Liverpool’s defence. The United manager has alluded to a more upbeat strategy this time around, despite his team’s lacklustre performance at Anfield earlier in the season.

“Wherever it is feasible, we will boldly move forward,” Ten Hag declared at a press conference on Friday. Additionally, we are aware that we can take advantage of any openings in the back of their defensive line.

“However, in order to get there, outplay them, and get the balls there, we must employ a strong strategy during crucial football moments.

It is unquestionably true that some games are bigger than others. In my opinion, Manchester United vs. Liverpool is always an exciting match, but it’s much more so in the FA Cup quarterfinal.

We’re eagerly anticipating it. It’s unquestionably a unique game. Liverpool consistently delivers excellent performances and achieves the desired outcomes.

Particularly, from Christmas to January or February, I would think. They had excellent football performances and outcomes, in addition to their excellent play.

A note for the supporters

According to the ECHO, Liverpool will support United with its strongest official contingent tomorrow when 9,200 Reds supporters go to Manchester. Ten Hag has urged the followers of his team to change things.

“There will be more Liverpool fans so they (United fans) have to be really loud, to support us that we hear them but I’m convinced they will do that, absolutely.”

Jürgen Klopp’s departure from the Premier League is ‘bad’

It will be Klopp’s farewell trip to Old Trafford as Liverpool manager tomorrow. Back in January, when discussing the German’s imminent departure, Ten Hag acknowledged that he understood Klopp’s logic.

Ten Hag remarked, “I can understand that.” Nine years is a lengthy period of time. I believe it’s a phase of growing and reaching goals, but I also believe there will be setbacks and challenging times. The Premier League is a fierce competition.

“Playing European club football for nine years is a long time, and I can understand that he is running out of energy,” he said in support of his resignation.

“It is detrimental to the Premier League.” Congratulations! He has created a new era there by building the club and putting it back where it belongs. He has performed admirably in Liverpool.

March 16, 2024
‘Clutching at straws’: Jamie Carragher raises concerns over Erik ten Hag’s verdict prior to the Liverpool trip

This weekend, Liverpool will host Manchester United. When expressing his opinions about Erik ten Hag’s post-match analysis of the Bayern loss, Jamie Carragher did not hold back.

Erik ten Hag’s defence of Manchester United’s dismal performance was sharply criticised by former Liverpool defender and current sports broadcaster Jamie Carragher as United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League came to an end on Tuesday night. Ten Hag’s remarks, according to Carragher, were a last-ditch effort to draw some hope from an otherwise hopeless circumstance.

Manchester United lost to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford without much of a fight, and this weekend they will take on Liverpool in the Premier League. Kingsley Coman’s goal was the only one that could save United from elimination from the Champions League, and the defeat was the final straw for the team.

United was unable to muster a victory even though Bayern Munich was already guaranteed a spot in the round of 16 and didn’t put in much effort during the match. Its performance was so poor that it gave Bayern’s goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, very little of a challenge during the game. Due to the outcome, it was dropped to the bottom of its group and would not even be eligible to play in the Europa League after Christmas.

Key attacking players including Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen, and Jadon Sancho were absent, which undoubtedly contributed to United’s lacklustre performance, which saw just one shot on goal. The manager of Bayern, Thomas Tuchel, identified United’s shortcomings and blamed the team’s loss on a lack of “quality and personality” in key positions and among the substitutes. Nevertheless, Ten Hag maintained that United played admirably and wasn’t deserving of the loss:

Ten Hag remarked, “The performance was excellent again, and we didn’t deserve to lose.” Carragher, along with many others, had a different perspective on the matter.

The pundit thought Ten Hag was only attempting to contain the situation in before of the next Premier League game against Liverpool. Carragher asserted on CBS Sports that Ten Hag was trying to turn the defeat into a win since it wasn’t as severe as it could have been. He implied that Ten Hag was attempting to instill confidence in his team before of their match at Anfield by leveraging the close loss to one of the best clubs in Europe.

“He’s trying to take something from it to then get to Sunday,” Carragher continued, “because you lose 3-0 to Bournemouth, you’re now playing one of the giants of European football and you only lose 1-0.” “I think that’s just a manager trying to clutch at straws,” he said in closing.

According to Liverpool.com, Carragher’s position is difficult to dispute. If anything, Ten Hag’s belief that his squad performed well in that instance would make Manchester United supporters even more anxious.

Having stated that, it goes without saying that the manager must control the environment in the locker room before the Liverpool match. The Reds won’t take anything for granted, and perhaps the most deadly animal is one that is injured.

More news…….

A Liverpool defender who tests positive for COVID-19

A Liverpool defender who tests positive for COVID-19will face fines, and Crystal Palace
Current news from Liverpool: A Liverpool

After recovering from an injury, the defender has suffered yet another setback, and Crystal Palace will soon be fined for its lack of self-control.

Following Liverpool’s thrilling victory over Crystal Palace, the fallout is still ongoing. Although Jürgen Klopp’s team leads the Premier League at the moment, there was some drama at Selhurst Park. This is your summary of the most recent Liverpool news.

Ramsay tests positive for Covid-19

After testing positive for Covid-19, the on-loan Liverpool defender Calvin Ramsay has suffered yet another setback. The Scotland international temporarily switched teams during the summer and is currently playing in the Championship with Preston North End.

Ramsay’s lone knee injury came back at the end of the previous month, so he was unable to play in Preston’s goalless draw against Norwich on Saturday. Given his recent history of injuries, his absence caused some concern, but Ryan Lowe reassured everyone that there was no reason for fear.

The Preston manager commented, “He’s got Covid,” via the ECHO, following the game. “I’m not sure what the crack is called. It’s flying about a little bit, isn’t that right?

We had to make sure we just kept him away because he wasn’t feeling good. He had no business coming with us. He is therefore not well.

Tuesday sees Preston return to action as it hosts Huddersfield Town; however, it is currently unknown if Ramsay will be able to play.

December 14, 2023
Jürgen Klopp has to make 11 clear decisions for Liverpool and Erik ten Hag just proved why

Liverpool face Union SG in their final Europa League group stage game tomorrow night, setting up a big clash with Manchester United in their corner of the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp is very grateful to Union SG. Without his effort against Toulouse, this week would have been much more difficult for the Liverpool manager.

Manchester United advanced to the Europa League group stage with a comfortable 4-0 win over LASK, but Belgium secured top spot with a goalless draw against France. That makes a trip to mainland Europe this week a no-brainer, at least for visitors.

There is much more to come at Union SG. Although unlikely, if they beat Manchester United and Toulouse lose to LASK, they could join Liverpool in a competitive play-off with a huge goal difference. . There is a chance that they will advance in the conference league or even be eliminated from Europe altogether.

We’ll no doubt hear Klopp talk about the indecisiveness of the rest of the squad when he speaks to the press. That means he will take tomorrow’s game seriously, even if his work is done. But that shouldn’t tempt him to use one of his star players against Union SG.

The Belgian side put it bluntly: Liverpool have much bigger fish to fry this weekend. The game against Manchester United is always one of the first games fans look forward to at the start of the season, and a win for the Reds against their old rivals would set up a huge clash with Premier League leaders Arsenal.

And United showed the dangers of such an important game even after playing in Europe. Eric ten Hag, who already has a long list of players missing, is expected to add at least two more players after Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were injured against Bayern Munich and Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are out the cause of a disease.

Ten Hag clearly had no choice but to field a strong team against the German champions. The chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League seem slim, but there is still a chance, but you might not know if you actually watched the game at Old Trafford.

But Klopp’s situation is the exact opposite. Liverpool have nothing to gain from their last group game but have a lot to lose if players get injured.

So while it may be tempting to start with one or two experienced options or bring a few big names off the bench if Liverpool fall behind tomorrow, Klopp should avoid this. The risks far outweigh the rewards.

There’s a chance to see some familiar faces fly to Belgium today, but there are at least 11 players who won’t be making their second appearance tomorrow. Alexis McAllister will not play despite being fit, but you can include Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez . Added to list of players not worth the risk.

There are also several possible options: Players like Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenbirch and Cody Gakpo can all play, but they certainly shouldn’t be near the field for 90 minutes. 45 minutes can be enough.

Figuring out how strong a team should be in the Europa League can sometimes be a tricky balancing act. But Klopp will have to postpone all thoughts until tomorrow. It’s not worth the risk.

December 13, 2023