Ten Hag: 'Man Utd want to compete with the strongest teams'
"We have to improve every day," said Ten Hag after the 1-0 win over Betis in the second leg of the Europa League round of 16 on the evening of March 16. "We still have a lot of holes in the way we play. We have to work to improve that. We have to improve because we want to compete with the best teams in the world."
Ten Hag also affirmed that Man Utd's goal is to win every tournament. Regarding the Europa League this season, besides the title, the Dutch coach also aims to qualify for the Champions League next season. Winning the Europa League always comes with a place in the Champions League.
After winning the first leg 4-1 at Old Trafford, Man Utd was somewhat easy going as a guest at Benito Villamarin. Not only did they preserve the advantage, they also scored the only goal thanks to Marcus Rashford's shot from about 25 yards in the 56th minute. "We had to avoid inflaming the home fans and energizing the opponent by letting conceded a goal," said Ten Hag. "Once you score, the game against them is over. We should have scored in the first half. After we opened the scoring, the opponent's confidence was gone."
Ten Hag is also excited about Man Utd continuing to be unbeaten in Spain this season. Before that, they beat Sociedad 1-0 in the group stage and drew Barca 2-2 in the play-off round. He sees the victory over Betis as another psychological step.
Before scoring, Rashford missed two opportunities to face the goalkeeper. He hit the goalkeeper's foot the first time and shot it into the sky the second time. According to Ten Hag, it is very important for Rashford to correct his mistakes.
This season, Man Utd won the League Cup. They still have two title targets, the Europa League and the FA Cup. Besides, Ten Hag's teachers and students are ranked third in the Premier League with 50 points after 26 matches, 16 points behind the top team Arsenal and played one less game.
On March 19, Man Utd will take on Fulham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. After that, they will take a two-week break during the time the teams compete. "We have a big game this Sunday," Ten Hag emphasized the importance of the FA Cup. "We have to do everything in our power to get it done."
In the other three FA Cup quarter-final matches, Man City will face Burnley, Sheffield face Blackburn and Brighton face Grimsby. Man City and Brighton are the biggest competitors to Man Utd. Man Utd reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League with Juventus, Roma, Feyenoord, Sevilla, Sporting Lisbon, Leverkusen and Union Gilloise. The draw for the matches will take place on the afternoon of March 17.
