Julian Nagelsmann’s appointment at Bayern Munich will do nothing to stop the speculation linking Ajax manager Erik ten Hag to Tottenham Hotspur.
Erik ten Hag said: “We prepare our team thoroughly, on the basis of our own strengths. We need to have respect for the opposition – we take that into every match. That is how we do our work. We want to be confident on the pitch, but we can’t be naive. We have lots of matches under our belt. From analysis last season we had maybe a lack of experience. We looked on purpose at the Premier League, Daley Blind and Dusan Tadic. They had to bring it to our squad and that’s what they did. I don’t have superstitions. I believe in my team, the players on the pitch and the plan we have gone through together. They can make their own independent decisions if something changes on the pitch. We have achieved something, but we want to do more. We don’t want to rest on our laurels. The team is good. We are very fit, very eager and very fresh. We can certainly perform at our best, we know that.”
Despite two Dutch Cup wins and an Eredivisie title – with another one the way – Ten Hag’s crowning glory at Ajax will likely be their shock run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. Back then, Ten Hag gave a fascinating insight into his managerial approach, from identifying areas of recruitment to pre-match superstitions.
