Following their victory at Aston Villa in the 24th round of the Premier League, manager Erik ten Hag believes that Manchester United can beat any opponent, whether at home or away.
"When playing away from home, we need to have more faith in ourselves," the Dutch manager said in a press conference at Villa Park. "Manchester United could have won at Arsenal, and we deserved to win that game. The team can also win at Anfield. The important thing is belief, as we showed in the win against Aston Villa. If we have belief, we can beat any opponent."
Manager Erik ten Hag during the Manchester United vs. West Ham match at Old Trafford, Manchester, in the Premier League on February 4, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Ten Hag referred to the 1-3 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on September 3, 2023, when the "Red Devils" conceded two goals in injury time of the second half. In the 0-0 draw against Liverpool on December 17, 2023, the Anfield team had 34 shots, while Man Utd only had six chances.
Following their 2-1 win against Aston Villa, Man Utd are now just six points behind the top four. Manager Ten Hag believes that with the team's current form, anything is possible. "Man Utd aren't ready to catch up yet, but we have to maintain this momentum and keep improving," he said. "If we can do that, and with many games ahead, let's see what can happen."
The only blemish on the win at Villa Park was the injury to defender Luke Shaw. He left the field after the first half, making way for Victor Lindelof. Ten Hag said that doctors hadn't diagnosed Shaw's injury, but he still substituted him as a precaution. "We couldn't risk Shaw, as he's had a lot of injuries in the past," the 54-year-old manager added. "So we had to take him off to avoid injury. Let's see how Shaw develops in the next few days."
Man Utd have had their strongest possible squad for the past few weeks, but have now lost centre-back Lisandro Martinez for at least eight weeks due to injury. If Shaw is unavailable, and Tyrell Malacia isn't fit to return, Ten Hag will have to patch up the defense as all left-footed defenders are out.
Hoang An
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