Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag reacts to their epic 4-3 win over Liverpool after extra time in the FA Cup quarter-final
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
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00:00 [ Background noise ]
00:24 >> James.
00:25 >> Hi, Eric. Where would that rank among your best wins,
00:30 not only at Man United, but maybe anywhere in your career?
00:33 >> Oh, it was a good win, but I have had some more very good wins, I can tell you.
00:40 >> Did the emotion of that win, I know you won a trophy last season,
00:48 but did the emotion of that win and how dramatic it was,
00:51 did that trump winning a trophy last season?
00:55 >> No, for me, winning the trophy is more important than just one of them.
00:58 Into, maybe it can be very important to win another trophy.
01:04 And so by the end, it's winning the trophies and getting results.
01:07 But, so I am pleased with the performance of my team.
01:12 And I think the first 35 minutes, we show again that, I said more lately,
01:18 that the future of this team is very bright.
01:21 And there's a huge potential.
01:22 Now we have to get it out and we have to get the consistency in.
01:26 But from January on, we are already in a very good run.
01:29 And we got results in.
01:31 And today, the first 35 minutes, it was very pleasing to see, watch this football.
01:37 And then, of course, when you see it all over, I said after the game,
01:41 it was really fun to be part in this game.
01:44 And after the first 35, we had our drop.
01:48 And we allowed Liverpool to be back in the game.
01:54 And we know they have a very good team.
01:56 But then we returned, we showed resilience and determination to win this game.
02:01 >> Your team, the character of your team has been questioned quite a lot
02:09 over the last two years.
02:11 What do you think what happened today says about them?
02:17 >> I don't understand why you're questioning it.
02:19 And because they have, they are great characters
02:25 and they're really determination.
02:27 We have seen today again, not for the first time.
02:30 But if you oversee this season, we have had so many setbacks all the time.
02:36 I have players dropping out and every time we have to adapt.
02:40 Also, yesterday, in Jonny Evans' last minute of the training, he dropped out.
02:46 Then we have to adjust to bring a player in who didn't train,
02:50 didn't play for four or five weeks.
02:52 And he had only one, two training sessions with the team.
02:56 And then he came in and Assa, Aron Mombisaka was playing so well.
03:00 But the team adjusted also to that, that we had to change.
03:05 So we can deal better with such situations where we were in autumn.
03:12 It was difficult to adjust where we had all the injuries.
03:16 So what you now see in January, February, March, we can deal better with this.
03:21 And still we have a lot of injuries, but we can deal with it.
03:24 We get our wins.
03:25 So I'm very proud of the way, of the run we are in.
03:29 But we know we have to still catch up because we are happy, of course,
03:34 with the loss of Spurs, Villar drop points.
03:37 We are happy with being at semi-final.
03:41 But we have to keep going.
03:43 But the progress is there from January on.
03:46 In every game we are scoring.
03:47 And so we are getting better.
03:50 And also we are defending better.
03:53 So I'm happy with the progress of this team.
03:55 Can you say about a young player like Amman,
04:00 who hasn't had that many chances to show the poise he did
04:03 in that dramatic moment to get that goal?
04:06 I'm so happy for him.
04:09 And so that is one of the players with huge setbacks this season.
04:14 Having bad injury, returning from it,
04:17 but then return in a team where there's a lot of competition in his position.
04:21 He doesn't always get the times to play he deserves by his training performances.
04:28 But then he's coming on.
04:30 And then he shows his contribution, scoring a goal.
04:36 But we know he can do it.
04:38 We know he has that key moment where he can decide a game.
04:43 And so I'm very pleased that he got the win.
04:47 But also, we had another sub, Anthony, who scored the equaliser.
04:50 And he is also in a problematic situation.
04:55 But you see he's fighting as well.
04:58 And he wants to contribute as well.
04:59 So I'm very happy with the bench today.
05:02 You seem, I mean, you're obviously very calm.
05:04 And you're obviously very calm.
05:06 But in moments and matches like that, how are you feeling inside?
05:10 Can you keep it all together?
05:12 I have to analyse.
05:14 With me, the ratio has to win from the emotion.
05:19 And I keep analysing the game.
05:22 And that's why I decided by the end to go one on one from the back.
05:28 I saw we are physically strong, we are mentally strong.
05:33 I had to force them more to go forward.
05:36 And force the team that they go one on one.
05:39 And then they are forced to help each other.
05:42 When you don't do it, then a good team like Liverpool is,
05:45 will absolutely outplay you.
05:47 And from that moment on, we got the initiative back in the game.
05:51 And we created many chances from that point.
05:53 Melk.
05:54 Eric, the team has been criticised sometimes this season
05:57 for not having a clear style of play.
05:58 But the energy and the intensity in, like you mentioned,
06:01 the first 35 minutes there, is that the vision,
06:04 your vision of how you want this team to play?
06:06 That is a vision, philosophy.
06:11 And it's an opinion.
06:13 And I think it's absolutely clear how we want to play.
06:18 But if you don't have all the players available,
06:21 and every time you have to swap.
06:23 And so today again, we have again to swap,
06:27 had the backline on two positions.
06:30 That has a huge impact on the way you want to play.
06:33 But by the end of the day, the individuals make the way you can play.
06:39 And with how we want it, as a philosophy, is very clear.
06:43 And we have seen in the first 35 minutes,
06:47 how we want to do it, to outplay from the back,
06:49 to attract the opponent, to find the half spaces.
06:52 But also to defend as a team, either in a very high block,
06:56 or in a very low block, and be proactive.
07:01 Last two, one at the front and David at the back.
07:03 Erik, you seemed to be unhappy with the first booking for Amunds,
07:08 when you got booked for Mikael Sturlaverd,
07:11 you went over to...
07:13 Yeah, I thought it was not right to book him for that,
07:16 because it was clear that booking was on their half,
07:20 and not on our half.
07:22 That free kick, I mean.
07:24 Dave.
07:25 Hi, Erik. On Friday, you talked about not getting the turnaround,
07:29 and missing opportunities to turn your season around.
07:31 Do you feel this can now be a turning point for you and the team?
07:34 You're in the semi-final.
07:35 Can this galvanise you for pushing the league as well, for the fourth spot?
07:39 It could be, but we missed so many opportunities.
07:42 For instance, in Arsenal, already in the fourth game of the season,
07:47 where in the 87th minute, we should have had a penalty on Rasmus Hoyland.
07:53 Then we scored with Garnaccio, disallowed.
07:56 Then we conceded a goal that should always have been disallowed.
08:01 Such moments can help you.
08:05 Every team needs such moments in a season.
08:08 We never had that moment.
08:09 This could be that moment,
08:11 where the team got the belief and energy
08:16 that they can do amazing things.
08:19 I think when you can beat Liverpool in the way we did,
08:22 you can beat any opponent.
08:25 It's up to us to prove that point.
08:27 And as I said on Friday, today we did.
08:30 OK, thank you.
08:32 Has it somehow been a miracle to help them?
08:34 I don't know.
08:36 (LAUGHS)
08:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]