Erik ten Hag led his Manchester United side to win the FA Cup on Saturday and he deserves his flowers. Here are three things he got right.
It can’t have been easy for Erik ten Hag coming into this final. Facing the best side in the world while his Manchester United team had struggled practically all season.
It was a daunting task, made even more daunting due to the relentless rumours around his future, suggesting he was set to be let go regardless of the result at Wembley.
This might yet prove to be the case, but if it is, the Dutchman has gone out swinging and will be portrayed in a shining light after lifting silverware this weekend.
Now the dust has settled from the game, it’s worth looking back at three decisions Ten Hag got spot on which led to the 2-1 win on Saturday, here’s what we think.
Starting Sofyan Amrabat over Casemiro
Before the game, there was a surprise when Sofyan Amrabat was named in the starting line-up ahead of seasoned veteran Casemiro.
Casemiro was initially on the bench but ended up withdrawing from the squad entirely, but for Ten Hag, it was an excellent decision as Amrabat thrived in midfield against City.
He completed 93% of his passes, made eight defensive actions, seven recoveries and won two duels as per FotMob, in what was his best performance in a United kit.
His performance was so good that Paul Scholes even compared him to a prime Gennaro Gattuso afterwards. A big call by Ten Hag to trust his loanee, and it paid off big time.
Picking Marcus Rashford to start for United
Another surprising starter and a bold call on Ten Hag’s part was to select Marcus Rashford to start his first game in weeks.
The Englishman played on the left, pushing one of the goalscorers Alejandro Garnacho to the right and it’s a good thing he did.
Garnacho’s pressing from that side caused multiple problems but without him over there and Rashford on the left, Kobbie Mainoo‘s goal never gets scored.
Firstly the pass from Rashford is something Garnacho wouldn’t necessarily have in his locker, from here Garnacho did his part before Bruno Fernandes got the assist for a goal which made history.
The system he chose for United
Criticism of Ten Hag all season has been fair, but in the FA Cup final he got it absolutely spot on with the system he chose to play.
From the high press with a narrow four to prevent Rodri from being able to effectively play his game, to the devastatingly rigid deep block, City just didn’t have an answer.
Ten Hag had been trialling this system with the Fernandes and McTominay pairing leading the line and then dropping into midfield, and it’s clear to see he had it perfected.
If this is the end of his reign, he went out on top, playing the United Way on transition and lifting silverware, which is also the United Way.