Erik Ten Hag Tetap Yakin Manchester United Masih Bisa Bangkit

JAKARTA - The 3-0 defeat to Manchester City shows Manchester United has not yet recovered from the status of the mid-team. Apart from different levels, MU has not yet fully risen and slumped. However, manager Erik ten Hag remains confident that MU will rise and aim for the next match against Newcastle United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

MU is believed to have risen after picking up three consecutive wins in various competitions. The dramatic victory against Brentford and FC Copenhagen in the Champions League seemed to mark the recovery of the mentality of the Red Devils.

This is MU's important capital when hosting Man City in the English Premier League at Old Trafford Stadium, last weekend. Manchester Derby's game is the most suitable moment for the rise of the Red Devils while improving the rankings in the standings.

But the reality is the opposite. MU is nothing more than a team for you in front of one city rivals. Appearing at home, Man City easily clashed with MU's game. As a result, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden broke into Andre Onana's goal three times.

Even though they are only a Man City toy, Ten Hag is optimistic that MU will rise. According to him, MU is 'only waiting for time' to show its true ability after a bad start in the competition.

"At Manchester United, the demands in every game are very high. Every time anyone at the club is always under pressure. But we must always be ready to answer every challenge and high standard demand," said Ten Hag.

"It must be admitted that we did a start that didn't meet expectations. But we actually have talent and collectivity attitudes that are running on the right track. I believe we are just waiting for time before showing our real abilities. I'm sure the time will come," said the former Ajax Amsterdam coach.

Ten Hag indirectly stated that the team he formed still needed time to reap results. The same thing that Jurgen Klopp did at Liverpool, Mikel Arteta when he started dealing with Arsenal and did not miss Pep Guardiola's manager at Man City. However, Guardiola did not take long to make Man City the winning team.

Sir Alex Ferguson actually faced the same situation in the first years at United. He was almost fired if not prevented by legend Sir Bobby Charlton. When he almost fired, Ferguson instead led the team to win the 1990 FA Cup.

And the following year as the winner of the FA Cup, United appeared in the Cup Winners. This coincides with the lifting of sanctions for English clubs who were previously not allowed to compete in Europe due to the Heysel tragedy when Liverpool met Juventus in the 1985 Champions Cup final (now the Champions League).

In his debut in the Cup Winners after the English club underwent exile, United immediately won by beating Barcelona. Furthermore, MU made history by winning various trophies with Ferguson.

According to Ten Hag MU, they do not know the mentality of complaining. After losing, the Red Devils immediately tried to recover. Moreover, they already have to face a match that is no less crucial than against Newcastle at Old Trafford, Thursday, November 2 in the morning WIB.

"There was no time to complain and regret the defeat. We immediately focused on improving our performances and how to get better results in the next match," said Ten Hag again.

"At this club no one likes defeat, especially at Manchester Derby. But we have to get up and look at the game up front. We have to move on," said the manager.

The same thing was when we won. We never took long to enjoy it. So, we also didn't think about defeat long. We looked at the next match," said the man from the Netherlands.

Furthermore, Ten Hag said that he still trusted and relied on the existing players. He believes they can get out of this difficult situation. Moreover, players have shown extraordinary character so they can win three matches before losing to Man City.

"In Sunday's match [against Man City], our defense was very disciplined. We also created many chances through counter-attacks. But we failed to convert into goals. We were also reminded when making mistakes in a game with the highest level, you have immediately felt the consequences," said Ten Hag.

MU also made sure not to waste the chance to defend the title in the Carabao Cup. The match against Newcastle, which was a final repeat last season, was at least MU's motivation to win the game.

"We focus on the Carabao Cup and remember how we were able to win the Carabao Cup. We know how it feels to lift this trophy. So, as defending champions we want to return to Wembley and defend it," he said.

MU lost a number of important players against The Magpies. At least Casemiro, Leandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Badminton Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Amad Diallo will miss the match.