The expectations on the new Manchester United manager are discussed by Gab and Nedum. (0:56) Manchester United has had six managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired after winning the club's most recent title. He arrives with the pressure of returning the club to the top of European football after a near-decade of mediocrity, and in hiring him, United have opted for someone who has a track record of developing youth, playing attractive football and winning titles. There is an element of unknown about him despite the fit. A manager who has worked under a coach who is considered the best in the world, has helped nurture some of Europe's best young players, and has a philosophy that is influenced by the Dutch school of Total Football, is Ten Hag. I spoke to Ten Hag in December. He was in charge of the campaign for the European Championship with the club, but was also signalling his desire to try something different. He was being linked with all sorts of top jobs, and was asked if he pays attention to it. Don't look in... I live by the day and I am very satisfied at Ajax, he said. He paused when asked if he would eventually be tempted by one of the European giants linked with him. If they want to sign me, we will see. I feel comfortable doing this job because I am looking forward to a plan. He landed the biggest job of his career at Old Manchester. How did he get here? - Man United announce Ten Hag as new manager
- O'Hanlon: Can Ten Hag turn United around? (E+)
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In December of last year, Ten Hag said he was satisfied with the season that had just ended, as they were still in Europe and in the Dutch Cup. He said that satisfaction is a danger as the moment you get satisfied, you get lazy.
There are three black-and-white photos of ex-Ajax managers on the walls of Ten Hag's office. The castle 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 They are reminders of the expectation that comes with being a Dutch coach.
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The career of Ten Hag was a typical run-of-the-mill centralMidfielder in the Eredivisie. He played for FC Twente, De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk and Utrecht. Hans Kraay Jr. said that when they played together, he wanted to become the manager of FC Twente. Our manager would always tell us we had to sort it out between us if we were playing against one or two strikers. He had an eye for detail.
After retiring from playing football at age 32, Ten Hag went into coaching, working his way through the FC Twente age-grade sides before becoming an assistant to Fred and Steve. He took charge of Dutch second-division side Go Ahead Eagles in 2012 after working at PSV for two years. He got them promoted to the Eredivisie for the first time in 17 years. He managed the reserves from 2013-15, which was the same time as the tenure of Guardiola at the German giants. It was a learning experience for Ten Hag. He witnessed how the team would defend and press from the front, and how intense the training was, when he worked for one of the European powerhouses.
FC Utrecht signed Ten Hag in 2015. He was the sporting director and the manager at the time. His last match in charge was a victory over Ajax in November of last year, and just six weeks later, he was replaced by Ten Hag.
They were going through a tough time. In July of last year, their promising attackingMidfielder Abdelhak Nouri collapsed in a preseason match, having suffered a cardiac arrhythmia attack, which left him with brain damage. Nouri was a member of the academy side with Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek. That had an impact on the club and players.
Manchester United have a new manager.
The players were not performing well. They had already been knocked out of the Dutch Cup and Europe when Ten Hag took the job. It took time for Ten Hag to be accepted as he was a different kind of manager than what they were used to.
Kraay says that Overmars gave him time and that he had a different accent from people in Amsterdam. Everyone saw what he was doing. He is the boss. He doesn't want to make friends, but he wants good, entertaining football and they were playing better football after that.
The summer before the season began, Ajax recruited experience in Dusan Tadic and Daley Blind, as well as their brilliant young group of players in De Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Van de Beek. They won the league title by three points and then went on to win the Dutch double with the Beker. They won the league again by 16 points in 2020-21, though they struggled in the group stage of the competition, and were knocked out in the quarterfinals.
Ten Hag has them at the top of the Eredivisie with an incredible goal difference of plus 70, while they lost to PSV in the Beker final. The club has had some difficult moments. In December, Overmars signed a new four-year deal. He resigned a month later after being reprimanded for sending inappropriate messages to female colleagues. The club has been in the news recently, but Ten Hag has kept the ship on course.
He leaves the club with two Eredivisie titles and a record of 2.36 points per game, the highest of any permanent manager since the 1970s. Ten Hag identified three key aspects of being a successful club coach at the Dutch giants, which he will take with him to United.
It would be great if you left, but I work in the Ajax DNA, he said. In this moment, all three of us are doing that. If you call it a legacy, it is not about me, but about other people. My job is to get the maximum amount out of the team we have, and I have to work for a better future, then you will see what it will bring.
Kraay says that Ten Hag is a detail oriented figure who leaves little to chance.
The centre-back for AZ Alkmaar played under Ten Hag.
When he joined, we felt a different kind of approach. We used to make days last from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That was introduced to Utrecht by him. He was able to get the younger talents going despite not having the results. He has a way of reaching out to players and getting them to understand him, just like me.
It may not happen on the first day, or the second day, but after a while the players understand his way of thinking and will fight for him and believe in him.
Letschert remembers Ten Hag being very critical, but also noticing the positive things in his game, when they looked at some of his match footage. If he needs to get angry at half-time to get his team going, he will.
Letschert remembers when he was called up by the Netherlands, and he says there is another side to Ten Hag. Ten Hag called me before it was announced. He wanted to let me know before I read it on the internet. He asked me to stand up and give him a hug. Normally he is very professional, not affectionate, but I will always remember that.
I didn't expect to see that, but Ten Hag is known for his dancing at team socials. Letschert says the players loved it.
Tadic has flourished after an underwhelming spell in the premier league, thanks to the transformation of his career by Ten Hag. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph in December, the Serbian player painted a picture of a man who is very solution-oriented.
Tadic said that he identifies their strengths and how to stop them, whatever the opposition did. He is the master. He talks to the players in a good way. It is why he is so good when you have that combination.
When Ten Hag was asked how his approach to man-management has changed, he said it is always changing. My approach was different to a more experienced team when I coached a young team. When you are in an unsuccessful period, you are coaching differently than when you are in a successful period. You have to adapt to the situation as a manager. I have improved as a manager because I have learned better how to manage situations.
Aurelien Tchouameni would be a good fit at Manchester United.
The 4-2-3-1 system that Ten Hag's Ajax have been playing this season can shift to three at the back, or even six at times in a 4-2-4. It is difficult to score against your team if you achieve that.
Ten Hag does not rotate his players for the sake of it. He often keeps the faith with a familiar-looking first XI for the big matches, but the nature of the Eredivisie means he has the luxury of being able to shift key personnel out for matches against the smaller teams.
It is a testament to Ten Hag that he has been able to pivot the team away from the 4-3-3 and towards a 4-2-3-1. He has turned to rising stars Ryan Gravenberch and Edson Alvarez to do the work in the middle of the field. Their role is just as important as the one going from box to box. Expect to see United pressing and counter-pressing high up the pitch once he is settled in next season, as the wingers are aggressive and the team is expected to win the ball back immediately after losing it.
Some at United will be concerned about how he plays. Kraay says that he likes to play with both full-backs high on the pitch. He needs two central defenders who are good on the ball and also have pace. I don't know if Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire have the pace.
Any forward playing for Ten Hag will be expected to hustle the opposing defenders, but also be an aerial threat in the box, while his goalkeeper will need to be good with his feet. The keeper plays out from the box with his two centre-backs coming short to receive the ball.
He knows what it is like to play against a Ten Hag side. You can only be disciplined if you are fit. They are well prepared and able to change formations in the game.
Ten Hag will have done his due diligence on this job, which is by far the biggest of his career. He's worked with two ex-Man United players and a current United player, while his boss at the Amsterdam club knows that United have won 10 trophies in his six years as a player.
Good cooperation is important in every organisation. It is always based on good communication according to Ten Hag. The politics and transfer machinations were left to Overmars and Van der sar until the departure of Ten Hag.
It will be different at United. When it comes to effectiveness in the transfer market, they are still behind their rivals. This is seen as a fresh start after years of turbulence.
He wants the club to target young, hungry players with Antony expected to be high on his transfer wish list. Kraay thinks his appointment is good news forRonaldo, as he thinks he will make him shine for another year. If he trains one week under Ten Hag, he will be amazed. He will play high pressure and still be nice to play as a strikers. The ball will not be 65 yards out, but 18 or 20 yards out.
Mitchell van der Gaag and Robin van Persie are likely to join the backroom staff, and Ten Hag wants to improve the squad. The expectations that come with such a big job and how he will be judged are something that Ten Hag knows well. It is all about that.
Every year, the club loses their best players. He will be looking to build a dynasty at United, because he won't have that problem.
I asked him how he had changed when we were talking about Ten Hag's next step. Ten Hag would not have taken the job if he had not agreed to bring silverware to the club.
Kraay disagrees with people who ask why he should go to United. The closer they are to rock bottom, the better. If they allow him to get his players and do his work, he will get close to the football Alex Ferguson wanted.
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