Ten Hag wants to prevent Man City from winning the treble
This season, Man City missed the League Cup, but still have the opportunity to win all three remaining tournaments. They are currently second in the Premier League with 70 points, four points behind Arsenal and one game less. Man City will defend the title if they win all the remaining eight matches, including the match against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on April 26.
In addition, Man City also plays Real in the Champions League semi-finals, with two legs taking place on May 9 and May 16, and the FA Cup final against Man Utd on June 3. Coach Pep Guardiola once expressed his ambition to win all three titles to replicate Man Utd's achievements in the 1998-1999 season.
After defeating Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final, Ten Hag said that Man Utd fans did not want to see Man City win the treble, and affirmed that he would fight with his students to defeat their great rival in the FA Cup final. . "I understand the feelings of Man Utd fans, and we will give our best," he said.
Ten Hag considers the 2-1 victory over Man City in the Premier League at Old Trafford in January 2023 as "proof" that Man Utd is capable of preventing the opponent from winning the title. That match, Jack Grealish opened the scoring in the 60th minute, before Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford scored in four minutes, from 78 to 82, to complete the comeback.
The FA Cup final against Man City takes place a week after the final round of the Premier League. Therefore, Ten Hag emphasized that Man Utd must focus on the last eight matches to complete the goal of finishing in the top 4. The "Red Devils" are currently fourth with 59 points, equal to Newcastle and behind Tottenham after points.
Yesterday's semi-final at Wembley was even, with the opportunity divided equally for both teams. However, both Man Utd and Brighton could not take advantage of the 120 minutes, so they had to solve the penalty shootout. Here, Solly March was the only one who failed to help Man Utd win 7-6. For the first time, "Red Devils" won by penalty shootout in the FA Cup, after losing all four times.
Ten Hag praised Man Utd for being strong physically, mentally, showing bravery and personality to immediately get up after the 0-3 defeat at Sevilla and farewell to the Europa League in the middle of the week. "We proved we can deal with defeats and immediately return in the next match," said the Dutch coach. "Now, what we have to improve on is to come back in the game, in difficult situations, away. We have to show character, carry on and stick to the plan."
Ten Hag is aiming for a second title in his first season in charge at Old Trafford, after winning the League Cup. Man Utd reached the final of both competitions for the third time in history in one season, after 1982-1983 and 1993-1994.
In 1983, the "Red Devils" lost 1-2 to Liverpool in the League Cup final, but won 4-0 at Brighton in the FA Cup final. Similarly in 1994, Man Utd beat Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup final and lost 1-3 to Aston Villa in the League Cup title match.
