After the victory at Aston Villa in round 24 of the Premier League, coach Erik ten Hag believes that Man Utd can defeat any opponent, whether at home or away.
"When we play away from home, we need to believe in ourselves more," the Dutchman said at a press conference at Villa Park. "Man Utd could have won at Arsenal, and we deserved to win that game. We could have won at Anfield. The important thing is belief, as we showed in the win against Aston Villa. If we have belief, we can win against anyone."
Coach Erik ten Hag during the match between Man Utd and West Ham at Old Trafford, Manchester, in the Premier League on February 4, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Ten Hag mentioned the 1-3 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates on September 3, 2023, when the "Red Devils" conceded two goals in the second half's stoppage time. In the 0-0 draw with Liverpool on December 17, 2023, the Anfield team had 34 shots, while Man Utd had only six chances.
After a 2-1 win over Aston Villa, Man Utd are just six points off the top four. Ten Hag believes that with the team's current form, anything is possible. "Man Utd are not yet in the position to catch up, but we have to keep this momentum and keep improving," he said. "If we do that, and with more games to go, let's see what can happen."
The only blemish on the Villa Park win was defender Luke Shaw, who was taken off at half-time and replaced by Victor Lindelof. Ten Hag said Shaw had not been diagnosed with an injury but he took him off as a precaution. "We can't take any risks with Shaw because he has had a lot of injuries in the past," the 54-year-old added. "So we had to take him off to avoid injury. Let's see how he goes in the next few days."
Man Utd have had the strongest possible squad in recent weeks, but have lost centre-back Lisandro Martinez for at least eight weeks through injury. If Shaw is out and Tyrell Malacia fails to return, Ten Hag will have to patch up the defence with both left-footed defenders out.
Hoang An
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