Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed his half-time team talk during the Red Devils’ stunning victory over Barcelona on Thursday night, shaped by words of belief.
The Dutch coach watched his side overcome La Liga leaders with two second-half goals at Old Trafford against all odds, with Fred and Antony securing an infamous 2-1 win.
Robert Lewandowski had seemingly put Barca in the ascendancy just before half-time after converting from the penalty spot following Bruno Fernandes’ foul, but Ten Hag was keen not to hang his head.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, he explained: “I emphasised the belief. It was too flat first half.
We had our spare man, Casemiro we didn’t use enough…I think in the pressing we could be braver.”
Ten Hag also revealed that introducing forwards Antony and Alejandro Garnacho into the fray after the break helped bring speed and running to United’s play, as well as some essential self-assurance.
Throughout his interviews with BT Sport and BBC Radio 5 Live, he likened this confidence to vintage Sir Alex Ferguson – stating that they’ve found the right man in himself – while praising Fred and other senior figures for inspiring a resilient mentality up their team’s ranks.
Manchester United will now aim to keep their trophy drought-ending mission going when they face Newcastle United on Sunday looking to lift Carabao Cup glory.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
