He can play f*cking good football, enjoyed that Hague win over Liverpool. But after sobering up, everyone needs to get their feet back on the ground

Manchester United proved in Monday’s game that they can still match the top teams and are always a force to be reckoned with. In a great atmosphere, they beat Liverpool 2-1 and Erik ten Hag was able to enjoy his first three points in the Premier League.

Although the Red Devils were not dominant on the ball, they were definitely more dangerous when Jadon Sancho was able to get through after a shot off the bar and there were exuberant celebrations at Old Trafford. Not many people were prepared for something like that.

“We can talk about tactics, but it’s all about the attitude with which the players go on the pitch. I’ve seen the communication, the fighting spirit and you can see for yourself what we can achieve because they can play f***ing good football,” the Haga man was delighted after the game to finally see his players show what they can do and what they are paid so well for.

That Manchester United can lash out against top teams is well known when they have many top players at their disposal. But it is the combativeness and dedication for his team that has certainly not been seen regularly.

A great example was Paul Pogba, who left for Juventus in the summer, who was rather mediocre in many games. In doing so, he virtually single-handedly destroyed Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the spring of 2018, delaying their league title celebrations.

That season, Pep Guardiola’s charges reached an impressive 100 points, which, by the way, is still the record for points scored in a single Premier League season.

Of course, the French midfielder is not the only example. All the more pleasing is the fact that the Hag can put both team captain Harry Maguire and star Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. Because before his arrival, it seemed that some players were more important than the coach himself and it often looked like that on the pitch.

“I was happy for them, but they have to carry that into every game, not just one. Every game in the Premier League is tough. So we have to carry that intensity into every game,” the Dutch coach finished his post-match interview with Sky Sports.

The first 20 minutes were indeed a pleasant surprise for the Red Devils fans, but the rest of the half was more or less in the hands of Liverpool, who enjoyed 76.6% ball possession and sent 6 shots at David de Gea’s goal, unfortunately for them without success.

The game didn’t look any different in the second half either, fortunately for Manchester United they managed to add one more goal which was crucial to the victory. However, Liverpool dominated the pitch and if Jurgen Klopp had all the key players he could have sent on the pitch, we probably wouldn’t be talking about a home win.

Either way, Liverpool are in a crisis that is reminiscent of Klopp’s tragic season at Borussia Dortmund. This time, however, he has a great team at his disposal, which in turn has gotten even stronger, and the results will surely come soon. However, this loss right from the edge of the season will be hard for the Reds to make up.

At the same time, it was clear to see how much more work this Hag will have to do to build a team that could think about top positions or even the league title.

Source: Sky Sports