Ten Hag is wary of Newcastle's time-buying style

Before the final of the Confederation Cup at the end of February, Ten Hag criticized Newcastle for always buying time, playing football to provoke opponents, and at the same time asking Man Utd to focus, not be provoked and find ways to overcome.

At the press conference before the 29th round of the Premier League on April 1, the Dutch coach reiterated this point of view and wanted the referee Stuart Attwell to have reasonable warning measures to keep the match from falling apart.

"Worried," said Ten Hag. "We know they want to buy time and disrupt the tempo of the game. That's what the referees don't want, because they want to keep the tempo of the game. That's also the goal of the Premier League, with matches being played. keep it at a high speed. So the referees have to be consistent for the game to go smoothly. Please stick to it and make decisions according to the process."

The 53-year-old coach also expects Man Utd to be able to control the game and overcome Newcastle's "irritating" style like the 2-0 win at Wembley more than a month ago. "The most important thing is the way Man Utd play," emphasized Ten Hag. "Like every game, we want to dominate, control the game, but we are also aware that Newcastle are a strong opponent. They are having a great season and are a team that is really hard to beat. We are playing. Looking forward to the challenge and proof that we beat them."

Ten Hag wants Man Utd to win against Newcastle to break through in the race for the top 4 in the Premier League. "Red Devils" are currently third with 50 points, one point more than Tottenham but two games less, and three points ahead of Newcastle.

But Ten Hag emphasized that Man Utd is always an attractive destination for any star even without the Champions League, with Casemiro being an example. "Casemiro has it all, won the Champions League many times, but is still ready to come to Man Utd even though we are playing in the Europa League. Playing for Man Utd is very exciting for all players, and they want to be. part of this club," he said.

Casemiro is one of the rookies arriving at Old Trafford in the summer of 2022, alongside Antony, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia. According to Ten Hag, Man Utd is building a good foundation, team, going in the right direction and must continue to improve and develop. He also said that he always sets high requirements and standards and requires his students to perform better every game.

Wout Weghorst joined Man Utd on loan in the mid-season transfer window. He has come under a lot of pressure and criticism having only scored twice in 18 matches in all competitions, including one in the Europa League and one in the League Cup. Ten Hag defended his compatriot striker, saying that Man Utd operated better with Weghorst on the field.

The Dutch coach said that Marcus Rashford could return in time when he swallowed the training session on March 31, Anthony Martial, Raphael Varane, Marcel Sabitzer had problems and left open the possibility of playing, Casemiro was definitely absent due to suspension. , while Alejandro Garnacho, Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek remain on long-term leave.