Ten Hag admits his team have done quite well despite a tight schedule.
Manchester United are playing regular games in Premier League. After losing the game against Brighton, Erik ten Hag’s men moved to London for another league game against West Ham.
Man United are fighting for a place in the top four. Manager Erik ten Hag knows the importance of a win on Sunday against the Hammers.
Ten hag’s side have won the Carabao Cup, and reached the FA Cup semifinal. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Europa League. Now, they are fighting for a Champions League slot in the Premier League.
Despite the Thursday-Sunday schedule, Ten Hag admits his team have done quite well.
““It has already an impact on the whole season and we are doing quite well in the schedule – not quite well, but really well,” Ten Hag said in the pre-match presser.
“We have a big disadvantage against others. West Ham United is a team that I think has a worse schedule than we [do] but we showed all season already that we can deal with that. We are physically and mentally very strong.”
The Dutch manager, however, cannot wait to get back to the Champions League which will allow for more rest between games.
“That’s the great advantage of playing in the Champions League: you have a better week.”
And he knows how tough it will be to secure a spot in the top-four with so many teams chasing them and after suffering that last-minute heartbreak.
That is the exact message he is trying to hammer through to the players and has been trying to get them fired up to give a 100 per cent in games as opposed to 99 per cent sometimes.
“Yeah, but that is what I am telling them for every game and in every training. You have to be ready for every game in the Premier League and if you want to win in four competitions, you have to be so prepared.
“You need so much energy, you need a good gameplan and every game you have to go again. You can’t do it at 99 per cent. You have to do it at 100 per cent. You have to do it over the full 95 minutes and that’s why we like it.
“Top players like it, to have huge challenges, but that costs energy. That’s our job, that’s our responsibility. We have to take it and we lay this aside. On Sunday, we go again and I’m sure we will be there.”
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