Erik ten Hag exclusive: Man Utd have a plan for Arsenal, now we have to deliver | Football News

If you can glean anything from Erik ten Hag 24 hours out of his big Premier League clash with Arsenal, it’s that the Dutchman and his Manchester United side are in business.

He strode to interview us directly from the freezing training session, boots still on, arranged a hello, a quick joke and then we were off.

Neither Crystal Palace’s late equalizer in midweek nor the loss of the influential Casemiro will put the Manchester United manager where he and the club want to be. It was a day like Sunday that Ten Hag lived.

“In the Premier League, there are only big games. But there is a difference between big and big.”

This is one of the biggest and most anticipated meetings in years. Ten Hag tried to play down the significance but his eyes lit up when he said ‘very good competition for football lifting the game’.

Football fans – whoever you support – have been spoiled in the nineties and noughties with some epic, enthralling encounters, the game you just can’t take your eyes off not for a second. At the heart of the competition are two captains in Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira who represent a team that goes head-to-head – quite literally at times.

In the Emirates on Sunday, live in Sky Sportsit will be two men wearing the armband who may not be the same in terms of physicality and fear factor, but both will have the same impact on the team and the results.

In Martin Odegaard and Bruno Fernandes, you have two very good players, but most importantly for both managers, they also have the ability to direct the club’s vision and standards. Both of them had become palpable at their sides.

“They are two good players,” Ten Hag said. “Being skilled and scoring goals. He symbolizes the modern footballer in his attitude.

“He plays good football and knows that he has to work for the team, he is a team player and uses his abilities to make the team better so that individual skills are in the interest of the team. There is only one Messi, we saw that in the World Cup. More have to work and be part of a team.”

Harry Maguire remains club captain but in his absence as a starter, Fernandes has thrived in that role.

“He brings great energy in both transitions,” Ten Hag said of the Portugal international.

“A couple of weeks ago he got criticism about why he didn’t score goals. He was also disappointed. I said, ‘wait, calm down, calm down, your goals will come, but do what you want, so you do it. It’s great for the team and that brings the team results, and now we see them score two goals in two games.

“I’m sure that if the process of this team continues, they will score more. But the bottom line is always the ability they have and not many players are as skilled in transition as Bruno.”

Fernandes is also not afraid to say anything. Earlier this season, he called out Alejandro Garnacho for his poor attitude in training and had some choice words for team-mate Anthony at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night during an attack.

But Ten Hag almost feels the flash point: “I think it’s okay. Always emotional, a lot about the brain, but also emotional when the heart rules the head.

“Two, and there is more, when they bring that emotion to the game, it makes for a better performance. Sometimes they cross the line with each other, but in the same minute, they are best friends again.”

Without Casemiro – who picked up a fifth yellow card and suspension against Palace in midweek – and against the league leaders, I asked the Manchester United manager about the need for Fernandes to step up again, to set the tone of the game and be less. the skin of his enemy.

“I have a lot of leaders in De Gea, Varane, Eriksen and Shaw. They have shown a lot of progress in their personalities and lead by example, I am not worried about leadership and with this team, we beat them first and in this team, we have confidence. .

“It will be close, it’s about the details and being good in the execution of the game plan. We are in good shape and we have a good chance”.

As for replacing Casemiro as a player, he warned Arsenal: “We have a plan. I think we have a good plan, like against Manchester City, sometimes you have to surprise the opponent.

“We talked about it, we’ve given instructions, we’ve trained, now we have to deliver.”

Manchester United win at the Emirates and are just five points behind Arsenal. Ten Hag refuses to talk about his team as title contenders, but he is clearly proud of the progress the club has made this season and there is talk of silverware.

“You are doing your best. We have a good plan of what we want and we have a big investment from everyone at the club, especially the players. We are in a good position, we want to be here. In January, you cannot win nothing, but we’ve put ourselves in a position to win, so we’ll go from game to game.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken this week of the astonishing transformation and the speed with which it is happening at Old Trafford. A real compliment from someone who has been on the journey of building the club from the culture and environment up.

So where was Ten Hag and Manchester United three years on, see where Arteta is now?

“We want to be the best. We don’t make a secret about it, so we will work and we know there is a lot to do and there is a lot of room for improvement,” he said.

“In the Premier League, there are exceptional managers now. He is one of them and what he is doing now, he is the best.

“They are very consistent, the most consistent in the league and play incredible football. They are fantastic, but we want to beat them and we hope so. we know how to do it.”

After Manchester United spent over £200m last summer, Ten Hag has spoken about the culture and environment at the club. There is no doubt that he is the boss and expects buy-in from everyone.

The foundations have been laid, so what will phase two look like as they build their squad to keep going? The club have already struck one-year extensions for Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Fred, but no new deal for David de Gea yet.

“Of course, we’re working on it. It’s in the back of our heads what we do next, but I don’t want to talk about it,” he said of any future plans.

“At the moment, we prepare and focus game for game. We have developed the team and individuals in the last six or seven months have made great development.

“People can surprise you. Some players have made a lot of progress, we don’t need other players. We have seen a lot of processes and progress that we don’t need other players. We are going in the right direction with the team. but also individuals who can play a role in the long term long for Manchester United.

Just how quickly Ten Hag and his team are moving in that direction will become even more apparent on Sunday evening, as is the final goal of the Premier League trophy this season.