Erik Ten Hag Details Why His Style Works And How He Implements It

Football tactics can often go over the heads of fans, yet it is the most complex tacticians that excite the most.

Manchester United's new boss, Erik ten Hag, certainly falls into this category.

Ten Hag-ball etched its name into world football's map of elite tacticians in the 2018/19 season, with his young Ajax team taking Europe by storm.

The peak of this was their 4-1 Champions League demolition of a Real Madrid side that had won four of the tournament's five previous editions.

Ten Hag's young side turned up to maybe the most feared ground in world football with a titanic task ahead of them, yet come full time Ajax were the ones who took the title of ‘titan’.

Erik ten Hag is keen to be reunited with former Ajax player Frenkie de Jong at Manchester United. (Alamy)

The progressive mindset and perfectly choreographed possession play, coupled with the energetic yet well organised work out of possession, was simply overwhelming.

This couldn't be put down to just player quality; Ten Hag had a significant part to play, and this game was not a one-off.

Hours and hours of work across a long period of time made this football a consistent feature of Ten Hag's Ajax teams, and it is this style that has brought him to Old Trafford.

Now, United fans are excited to see him get started… But what exactly is his style of play? Who better to describe it than the man himself.

Speaking to the club in an exclusive interview, Erik ten Hag said: “We want to play a proactive style of football – on the ball and off the ball.”

That is, trying to do that has to be our intentions and it’s now, firstly, the coaches bring it over to the team that we are, in every situation, proactive.”

Proactivity is a very key aspect of any pressing style of football, with not only the individual but the collective mindset of the players needing to be geared in this manner.

Ten Hag expands on this, emphasising the togetherness of his players: “We are brave and willing to have the ball, to give each other options. But also off the ball, to get the pressing style is what we’re working for together.” 

He also gives fans an insight into the finer details of his role as manager and how he manages individual players. 

“In the positions of individuals, you give them coaching advice, and, in the end, it’s about team results and better team performances so you give them advice to perform into the team,” the Dutch coach explained.

He continued: “That is my job, to construct a team and to improve the team. You can do it in different ways or in more ways but, to start, it is out of a philosophy. And then you build it and go into the individuals, and you give them the rules and principles.”

Erik ten Hag addressing the players during training. (Man Utd)

With United's first pre-season game against bitter rivals Liverpool in just three days' time, United fans will certainly be excited to see how he is instilling these principles into his new squad.