Erik ten Hag stressed he has complete trust in the Manchester United players to carry out his tactical commands after their buoyant win over City. United recovered from 1-0 down to score twice in the last 17 minutes to record only their third home derby victory in the Premier League in the last decade.
Erik ten Hag said: “How I see they transfer the plan to the game I think was brilliant. To see how they are in possession. We talked about the role of Bruno Fernandes but out of possession – how we defended against the front players of Manchester City – it was really good. Yes, I trust them. They were behind the plan fully, 100 per cent, and controlled the game for long periods in the first half. I am convinced of [the belief the team has]. Teams need experience to build that mentality, to build that belief, that a game is only over when the ref whistles for the last time. To stay in the game you have to construct that and you need experiences like this to improve even more and push it even more to a higher level of mentality.”
Alejandro Garnacho proved to be a game-changer off the bench once again against City, creating Marcus Rashford’s winning goal. The 18-year-old assisted Luke Shaw’s strike against Bournemouth and won a penalty in the FA Cup defeat of Everton earlier this month. Garnacho could be recalled against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night with Anthony Martial a doubt once again after he came off at the interval against City.
Erik ten Hag replied: “A lot. He has a skill that I don’t see many players in the Premier League having – he beats players one-on-one. But he’s learnt in the last months about how to play in a team, how to live, how to do the right things in the week, how to have the right attitude on the training ground and you see how he’s acting as a team player and with his individual skills that can make the difference. Also for him, it’s to keep going in the process. It’s not done. There is a lot to come. There is a lot of room for improvement with him but he can help, he can contribute on the highest level already and I’m really happy. It’s a bonus for us as a club that you bring in young players and they can come not only into the squad but the team and I think that is a part of our project that has to contribute to our success.”
Ten Hag first watched United at Selhurst Park in their final game of last season, a day before he was unveiled at an Old Trafford press conference. United lost at Palace for the first time since 1991 and were due to play at Croydon in September, only the game was postponed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The fixture was hastily rescheduled at 11 days’ notice after Palace were eliminated from the FA Cup, freeing up a midweek slot.
Erik ten Hag said: “We faced them also in Australia. At Selhurst Park with the atmosphere there, it’s a difficult place to go. You have to be really good, you have to be 100 per cent. They’re a good team Palace, they’re a physical team, they will battle us from the first moment on. So we have to be really focused and have the right energy levels to beat them – that’s quite clear.”
