Erik Ten Hag ended a two-game losing streak in the Premier League with four straight wins right after. Former Dutch coach Foppe De Haan is not surprised about this because Ten Hag is considered to have a clear plan about the style of football he wants to build.
Ten Hag did get the spotlight when Manchester United lost against Brighton 1-2 in the inaugural match of the 2022/2023 Premier League. After that, they lost again with a more severe score, namely 0-4 to Brentford.
However, Ten Hag overturned the existing doubts by winning the next four matches. Two of them are Liverpool and Arsenal.
Many people are now starting to believe in the progress made by the team under the command of the Dutch-born coach. De Haan describes it in more detail about what the figure of Ten Hag is like.
Clear Idea
De Haan explained that Ten Hag was someone who had a clear football idea in his head. Besides being clear, these ideas can be understood by all players and can be applied in practice.
"People may often ask what kind of Ten Hag is this? But when he starts talking about football, then you will immediately realize that he is a person who really knows what he wants," he was quoted as saying by Sport Witness.
"He really has an idea about football and puts it into practice in training. He will make very clear requests that players can be trusted to do what he wants."
Long-lasting
Ten Hag was in charge of Ajax Amsterdam for five years before deciding to move to Man United. His long tenure is proof that Ten Hag always follows the development of football that is happening.
This awareness has helped Ten Hag to adapt to every moment of football. He is not stuck on one game package.
"That's why he lasted so long at a club. Ten Hag is very aware of where the trend of football is moving. He is aware that the game is increasingly moving towards narrow space games and demands a strong physical," said De Haan.
Good at Earning Trust
One more thing that Ten Hag has according to De Haan is his ability to win the trust of the players. The latest evidence is when Ten Hag is the one who can calm Ronaldo's situation and not make it creep into the rest of the squad.
"The manager after Alex Ferguson always had problems with the players. But Ten Hag was very smart to handle Ronaldo's situation. For me that's a good sign," he said.
"That proves he is very clever. Trust is very important, only then can you give anything else."