Erik ten Hag may be fighting for his Manchester United future, but the Dutchman has made a thinly veiled dig at new Liverpool manager Arne Slot.
The Dutchman, who will learn his fate at Old Trafford this week after leading United to an improbable FA Cup victory over the weekend, believes Slot’s record at Feyenoord is overhyped when compared to Peter Bosz’s work at new Eredivisie winners PSV Eindhoven.
He then doubled down on Jurgen Klopp’s successor, claiming Slot has hit lucky by inheriting a squad at Anfield that is equipped to compete for honors. “People have been going overly lyrical about Feyenoord,” Ten Hag stated.
“Feyenoord were consistent this season, but not outstanding. PSV Eindhoven outperformed in every category. In terms of ball control, pressure, and intensity, you name it.
“Bosz and his team performed an excellent job, but the rest of the club is as well-organized. PSV Eindhoven outperformed the rest by a significant margin, even exceeding Feyenoord.
United stunned Premier League champions Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, defying all expectations. Ten Hag then launched a passionate justification of his tenure, pointing out that he had won trophies in each of his seasons at Old Trafford.
“Feyenoord were consistent this season, but not outstanding. PSV Eindhoven outperformed in every category. In terms of ball control, pressure, and intensity, you name it.
“Bosz and his team performed an excellent job, but the rest of the club is as well-organized. PSV Eindhoven outperformed the rest by a significant margin, even exceeding Feyenoord.
United stunned Premier League champions Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, defying all expectations. Ten Hag then launched a passionate justification of his tenure, pointing out that he had won trophies in each of his seasons at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman also said United were in a “mess” when he arrived from Ajax in the summer of 2022, following a decade of underachievement since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
However, United ended eighth in the Premier League as Ten Hag’s ambitions to improve on last year’s third-place result were thwarted by a series of injuries. He believes Slot will have no such concerns after Klopp overhauled Liverpool’s roster last summer.
In an interview with Dutch journal Voetbal International, Ten Hag stated, “Jurgen and (assistant) Pep Lijnders have left behind a great foundation. He (Slot) is in a better situation than I was when I joined Manchester United from the Netherlands.
“In terms of club organization and selection balance. Liverpool went through a team transformation last year. Then players like Fabinho and Jordan Henderson departed. Last season, Liverpool experienced a year similar to ours, with a lot of injuries.”
