Ten Hag wants to improve away form
Starting the season with a 1-0 win over Wolves at Old Trafford, Man Utd increased the unbeaten streak at home to 30 matches, including four draws and 26 wins, since defeating Omonia Nicosia 1-0 on October 14, 2022 . In the Premier League alone, the "Red Devils" have won the last seven matches.
However, Man Utd shows a contrasting form away from home, with eight wins in the 2022-2023 Premier League. In particular, they suffered very strong defeats such as 0-4 at Brentford, 3-6 at Man City or 0-7 at Liverpool.
Therefore, Ten Hag considers maintaining a stable form away from home as the most important goal of Man Utd this season. "We have to perform well away to get more points," the Dutch coach said at a press conference before the match against Tottenham. "We want to be at a higher level, and that's the foundation to get more points."
Tottenham is a rare opponent that Man Utd achieves good results away from home. Since this team moved from White Hart Lane to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Man Utd is unbeaten, with two wins and two draws. In particular, the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford helped the "Red Devils" win 3-0 on this field in October 2021 - their biggest victory over Tottenham since February 2007.
Ten Hag emphasized that the students must show bravery and personality if they want to win the same result today. "That's my request to the players, and they have to show more personality on the pitch to win difficult games like this. And also to get more points," said the 53-year-old coach.
On August 9, Man Utd accepted West Ham's $38 million offer for Harry Maguire and accepted a loss of 58 million compared to when he bought the English midfielder from Leicester City in 2019. However, Maguire refused to negotiate with West. Ham wanted to stay and fight for the main kick, causing the deal to fall apart.
When asked about this information, Ten Hag admitted he did not know the negotiation process between the parties and affirmed that he was happy when Maguire stayed. According to the Dutch coach, Man Utd needs a thick force to be able to play from 50 to 60 matches in all competitions. He also insists Maguire is still in the plan and has the qualities to succeed in Manchester.
Speculation about Maguire's future also increased after Man Utd signed Jonny Evans short-term for the pre-season. Ten Hag confirmed the management is negotiating an extension with the 35-year-old Northern Ireland midfielder.
In addition to Evans, Man Utd have signed long-term contracts with goalkeeper Andre Onana, midfielder Mason Mount and striker Rasmus Hojlund. The "Red Devils" are said to be targeting Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard and Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, but Ten Hag insists he is satisfied with the current team. "Man Utd are always looking for opportunities to strengthen the squad, but I think Man Utd have a good squad and can hit the target," he said.
