Ten Hag explains keeping the same squad that lost to Liverpool 0-7
On March 5, Man Utd lost badly 0-7 at Liverpool's field - their heaviest defeat in the history of attending the English Premier League. However, coach Ten Hag did not have any personnel adjustments in the starting line-up when he received Betis at Old Trafford in the first leg of the 1/8 Europa League round yesterday.
Although it was more or less difficult for Ayoze Perez to equalize 1-1 at the end of the first half, Man Utd still won jubilantly thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford, Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Wout Weghorst. The 4-1 victory gives the "Red Devils" a big advantage before the second leg in Spain on March 16.
After the game, Ten Hag explained simply picking the best players to aim for victory. "Of course, they have a chance to recover, but this is an important game and we choose the best squad," added the Dutchman. "We've lowered our standards in the last few games and lost heavily to Liverpool on Sunday. So Man Utd needs to go back to the standards, the high values that are inherent."
On BT Sport, former midfielder Paul Scholes said he was surprised by Ten Hag's decision, but suggested that the Dutch coach wanted to test the personalities of a few players to see if they could continue playing for Man Utd or not. no, or the ability to play in the games that really matter. "I don't want to make excuses but Man Utd play a lot of games. And Ten Hag thought 'Forget what's gone, it doesn't matter. I'll keep the same starting line-up so they can show themselves' after a chaotic performance in the second half of the defeat to Liverpool", the former British player commented.
Meanwhile, former midfielder Owen Hargreaves said that Ten Hag kept the 11 starting players so they "corrected their own mistakes" after the defeat at Anfield. "I think any other club in the world would change. But Ten Hag wants to make a point: Man Utd have caused a mess at Anfield, but have had an impressive streak before," the former said. 42-year-old player added.
There was no change in personnel, but Ten Hag made tactical adjustments when bringing Bruno Fernandes to play as an attacking midfielder, Weghorst kicked his forte and Rashford drifted to the left. In the defeat to Liverpool, Weghorst kicked under Rashford, and Fernandes was pushed to the left. This is a formula that has been tested and worked well through the two Europa League play-offs against Barca.
According to Ten Hag, Fernandes is the best player in the match when he returns to his forte position. "He showed personality, played a deep role and played brilliantly. Fernandes was a key player in developing the ball from the back, creating rhythms and picking up passes between the lines. From there, Man Utd created a lot of opportunities," the 53-year-old coach analyzed.
Before the rematch with Betis in the second leg, the "Red Devils" will take on Southampton in the 27th round of the Premier League on March 12.
