Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed his assessment that his current squad cannot play the same brand of football as his former Ajax sides was misinterpreted, though reiterated this crop of players suit a different style.
Ten Hag enjoyed five successful seasons in charge of Ajax, leading them to three Eredivisie titles and coming within seconds of reaching the 2018/19 Champions League final. During his time at the Johan Cruyff Arena, the Dutch giants played some of the most entertaining football in Europe.
However, since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer of 2022, United have played with a more direct style, and Ten Hag caused a stir this week when he suggested his stars would not be able to perform the way his Ajax cohort did.
“We will never play that football. Because those were different players. This is also not why I came here. We are playing different football than I showed at Ajax because I have to, because I can’t play the same way,” Ten Hag told Viaplay in Dutch after Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
“The players decide how you play. Ajax has a very typical and characteristic style of play, with Manchester United I will always show different football, I did so last year as well. We play much more direct football here because I have the players for that here.”
Ahead of United’s trip to Fulham on Saturday, Ten Hag was given the chance to explain this quote to the English media at a press conference.
“I thought the explanation from my point of view was totally wrong, but I can’t play like Ajax because of different players,” he said. “I came here with my philosophy based on possession, but also to combine it with the DNA of Manchester United and combine it with the players, the competencies and the characters of the players and then do you combine.
“Last year, we have seen what that was, we played very good football last season. This season, the philosophy is not different, I want to emphasise more on [going] direct.
“But the explanation for my direct [style], they thought I want to go for long balls. I don’t buy Andre Onana to go for long balls, I want to play from the back, as we did and we tried it every game even against City, but when an opponent that is so high pressed, it is a good option to go direct.
“What I meant with directness and I explain it in the USA [in pre-season] to you all how we want to play, we want to press, we want to press in different blocks and then go direct, we have players like Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay who are very good at it, from passing of Christian Eriksen and our full-backs joining in. That was my idea and I explained it very clear.
“The intention is clear but definitely it’s the case the execution isn’t there. At the moment where we are in so many changes every game. We can’t line up the same two or three games after each other. Every time we have to swap.
“Last season it was the same but now we miss players often in the back four and every time we have to adjust. It doesn’t help with your routines. In midfield, we have to adjust, missing Casemiro, an important player.
“I never brought up this team. Do you know why? We have to win and I don’t want to find excuses if we are not winning and we have to be more pragmatic and win, that is the demand and I don’t walk away from that.”
Ten Hag’s United have lost eight of their opening 15 games this season, though 90min understands his job is not currently under threat.
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