Manchester United Coach Erik Ten Hag Finds Positives in Community Shield Loss to Manchester City
Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag encouraged his team to focus on the positives from their Community Shield Cup loss to Manchester City. Despite leading 1-0 with a goal from Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United lost 7-6 in penalties after Bernardo Silva’s equalizer. Ten Hag praised the team’s performance and urged them to use the experience to fuel their Premier League campaign, starting against Fulham. He emphasized the importance of learning from the pain of the loss while taking confidence from their competitive play.
Match Highlights
Manchester United were on course to a 1-0 win through Alejandro Garnacho’s strike in the 82nd minute. However, Bernardo Silva equalized, taking the game to penalties. The Red Devils fell short after Jonny Evans missed his spot kick, resulting in a 7-6 loss.
Coach’s Remarks
Erik Ten Hag expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “I was very pleased. After half an hour, we were very competitive, and we came into the fight, and we were passionate in the fight, and that is what we demand from our players. It was very good, and we can take this into next week [against Fulham].”
He added, “You have to feel the pain. You have to get fuel from it to make it a successful season but also take the positives that we can bring against a very good ball-playing team, press on the ball, and we can, against a very good pressing team, outplay them.”
Looking Ahead
Manchester United will begin their Premier League campaign against Fulham on Friday night. Ten Hag believes that the positives from the Community Shield game will give them confidence for the season opener. “The league start is the most important. I think we can take a lot of positives from this game, and it will give us confidence but also a little bit of pain in our stomach. When you are twice leading – in the game and in the penalties – then you have to feel the pain. We were very close but [did] not [win] a trophy,” Ten Hag noted.
Doubts Revealed
Manchester United -: Manchester United is a famous football (soccer) club from England. They have a lot of fans and have won many trophies.
Erik Ten Hag -: Erik Ten Hag is the head coach of Manchester United. A coach is like a teacher for the football team, helping them play better.
Community Shield -: The Community Shield is a football match played in England. It is usually between the winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup from the previous season.
Manchester City -: Manchester City is another famous football club from England. They are rivals of Manchester United.
Alejandro Garnacho -: Alejandro Garnacho is a young football player who plays for Manchester United. He scored a goal in the match.
Bernardo Silva -: Bernardo Silva is a football player who plays for Manchester City. He scored a goal to make the match equal.
penalties -: Penalties are a way to decide the winner of a football match if it ends in a draw. Players take turns trying to score a goal from a set distance.
Premier League -: The Premier League is the top football league in England. Many of the best football teams in the world play in this league.
Fulham -: Fulham is another football club in England. Manchester United will play against them in their next match.