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KOMPAS.com – Playmaker Manchester United, Bruno Fernandesreveals the differences in the way the Red Devils play under the new coach Erik ten Hag.
This was revealed by Bruno Fernandes after Manchester United’s 3-1 win in a pre-season friendly against fellow teams Premier LeagueCrystal Palace, at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Tuesday (19/7/2022).
Coach Erik ten Hag fielded a strong team as in the previous two friendlies against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory.
As a result, Manchester United recorded a dominant victory in this match. Moreover, Crystal Palace only brought 8 senior non-keeper players in the friendly match.
Anthony Martial scored his third goal of pre-season after picking up Diogo Dalot’s pass and escaping the offside trap.
The Red Devils front line, Martial, Jadon Sancho, Donny van de Beek, then combined well to give Marcus Rashford a tap-in.
Also read: Man United Vs Crystal Palace 3-1 Results: Brilliant Martial, Carving Goals and Assists
Jadon Sancho’s goal then came after he made a solo run after receiving a beautiful pass from Martial.
Victory was only tarnished by a goal back from Joel Ward’s head and a red card for young defender Will Fish.
Throughout the three pre-season games, Man United has recorded 11 goals and conceded only two.
Proactive play in ball possession and high pressing also became a hallmark of the Red Devils during this pre-season.
“Now, we are becoming more aggressive,” Fernandes told MUTV, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.
“The three players up front (Rashford, Martial, Sancho) are very aggressive in pressing the opponent,” he continued.
“It makes the last line go up and the midfielders too. When we win the ball we are closer to the goal.”
“We have freedom, there is a lot of space in the middle and we are better with the ball too.”
Also read: Ten Hag Highlights One Weakness Of Man United When Defeating Crystal Palace
The three victories recorded by Man United throughout this pre-season are also recognized to have made the Red Devils players’ spirits smolder.
“We feel good, the results of course help,” Fernandes added. “We played well but there is a lot to improve.”
“However, we still have time and will be ready for the first game of the season.”
Coach Ten Hag himself assessed that there were several areas of his team that could still be improved.
One of them is the matter of choosing the time to do it pressing against the opponent.
“I’m still looking at things that can be avoided and we can prepare ourselves to do it pressing It’s better when you start pressing,” said the bald-headed coach.
“I think the players felt good with the ball too, especially when we were 2-0 or 3-0 up.”
“However, we can also delay and lure the players out and speed up the game. The second goal is a good goal,” he continued.
“There has been a lot of development, but a lot of things can be improved. I agree we won the ball higher and that was my request from the team.”
“We always press the opponent and, if possible, do it high on the pitch.”
“Otherwise we will do it in the lower blocks but we also have to press and do it as a team.”
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