Manchester United beat Sheriff Tiraspol 3-0 on Thursday evening and thus convincingly qualified for the knockout phase of the Europa League. Manager Erik ten Hag was satisfied with what his team showed afterward.
Important question: why did Ten Hag leave Antony in the locker room at halftime? “It was more or less planned. When we were ahead at halftime, I wanted to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford together. That was one of the reasons, for a different dynamic on the right flank. Garnacho played well on the left.’
The ex-coach of Ajax was satisfied, but not thrilled, with United’s game. “It was okay. Of course, you hope to score in the first half, with the 2-0 just before half-time. That took a little longer than hoped. We deserved the goal and scored from a restart. After the break, we also scored two good goals. We kept the clean sheet, and gave nothing away. We were focused’, said Ten Hag, who also suggested points for improvement.
“It’s not that we need to be sharper, but we need to get more men in the box. We need to get behind the enemy’s last line. It is also about the occupation in the sixteen. That could be better. The second and third goals are examples of this. It went well there and I want to see that more often.’
Viva Ronaldo
Ronaldo completed the 90 minutes against the Moldovans after his disciplinary suspension and crowned his evening with a goal. Ten Hag is pleased with the Portuguese. ‘Awesome. He created opportunities, and the team created opportunities for him. Of course, we know his qualities in finishing. He needed a goal to get over the dead center. Now he has achieved that and more goals will follow, I’m sure of that.’
The record champion of England is now certain of Europa League football after the winter, but hopes to take the group win at Real Sociedad next week in order to skip the intermediate round. “We are confident, and we know what we have to do. We have to win there with a difference of two goals,” Ten Hag said combatively.
Antony’s Trick
Ten Hag was also asked what he thought of Antony’s trick at the end of the first half. The Brazilian got the ball and turned on its axis in a characteristic way. Then he wanted to send Casemiro into the depths, but his pass was not up to scratch and rolled over the back line. The audience at Old Trafford did appreciate his action, but the analysts were significantly less enthusiastic.
‘I have no problem with that, as long as it is functional,’ said Ten Hag. ‘But I also demand more from Antony. More runs in the depth, being in the penalty area more often, and especially dribbling with pace. We demand more dominance in his game,” the manager explained. ‘If there’s a trick like that occasionally, that’s nice, as long as it’s functional. If you don’t lose the ball, it’s okay. But if it’s tricks for tricks , I’ll correct him.’
