Ten Hag: Community Shield Matches Are Positive As Well As Painful For MU

Manchester United (MU) coach Erik ten Hag (antara)

JAKARTA - Manchester United (MU) coach Erik ten Hag assessed that his squad's defeat to Manchester City on penalties in the Community Shield match was a positive but also painful thing.

"I think we took a lot of positives from that game. We became more confident. However, the game also gave us a little 'hit in the stomach'," Erik said, quoted from Manchester United's official website on Sunday.

Menurut pria asal Belanda itu hal yang menyakit dari partai tersebut adalah Manchester United dua kali memimpin atas Manchester City, baik di waktu normal maupun saat aduhan penalti tetapi sang rival dapat membalik keadaan.

In that match, MU took the lead through Alejandro Garnacho's goal before being equalized by City midfielder Bernardo Silva.

Then during the penalty shootout, MU also took the lead after City Bernardo Silva's first kicker failed to score the ball into the net.

However, after that, the mistakes made by two Manchester United players Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans dashed the hopes that the "The Red Devils" squad would get their first trophy for the 2024/2025 season.

"We were very close, but in the end we couldn't get the trophy," said Ten Hag.

Ten Hag also asked his players to swallow the pain and make it motivation.

Moreover, MU actually showed a game that was not bad because he was able to balance and even took the lead over tough clubs who dominated the ball and displayed attacking games throughout the match.

"I'm actually very happy. We were very competitive for 90 minutes and continued to fight on the pitch. That's what I want from the players. We have to use the same spirit to face Fulham," said Ten Hag.

Fulham will be Manchester United's first opponent in the 2024/2025 Premier League. The match is scheduled to take place on Saturday (17/8) early morning WIB at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester.