Following Manchester United's comeback 3-2 friendly win over Real Betis, manager Jens Ten Hagar spoke to MUTV and gave an insight into his team's performance, player form, squad rotation and team style.
Team performance: Reversal win, still room for improvement
Ten Hag began by recognizing the team's overall performance, "I think it was okay, the lads did well. Although we had some problems controlling the ball at the beginning and went 0-1 down, we then took over the game and came back to take the lead. We scored three very nice goals and each goal showed our strength and team spirit." He singled out Amad Diallo for his outstanding performance, crediting his goals and overall contribution to the team's victory.
Amad Diallo: Eye-catching preseason performance
On Amad Diallo's performance, Ten Hagar spoke highly of him, "He's doing well, he's been having a good preseason so far. You can see that he has improved in his game, not only contributing on the offensive end, but also doing a good job on defense, rebounding and pressing. I'm very pleased with his performance."
Lineup rotation: for fitness recovery and match preparation
Ten Hagar also spoke about the importance of lineup rotation, "Everyone will need to play a few extra minutes this week to regain fitness as the games will get tougher and tougher. Especially the game against Liverpool on Saturday will be a good test and an important part of our preparation for the new season." He emphasized that by rotating the lineup, more players can be given a chance to play and it will also help the team's overall form to adjust and improve.
Team style: Aggressive, pressing and ball control
Speaking about the team's style, Ten Hagar said, "What we want to achieve is to be proactive and aggressive. The key is to play aggressively whether you gather up front or in the backcourt. In order to accomplish that, we need to start pressing at some point and keep everyone on the same page. That pressing must translate into possession and our entire team must do that." He emphasized that the team's style will revolve around aggressive attacking and effective defending, controlling the tempo of the game through pressing and possession.
Victory Reflection: lead could have been bigger, need to improve defense
Despite the eventual victory, Ten Hagar also pointed out his team's problems in the game, "We did a very good job of taking a 3-1 lead at the end of the half. But I think our lead could have been bigger and we could have taken a bigger lead. At the same time, we made mistakes in defending the corners and this is something we have to improve. Because in the league and in the season, we may have to face more challenges in corner kick defense." He reminded his players to remain humble and vigilant and to keep learning lessons to be better prepared for future matches.
