Turkey coach Erik ten Hag wants Man Utd players to stay calm and not overreact in the hostile atmosphere at Galatasaray's stadium in the fifth round of Group A of the Champions League.
Man Utd had an infamous match against Galatasaray in the 1993-1994 season. At that time, Turkish fans gave the "Red Devils" a hostile welcome at the airport in Istanbul and held up a banner reading "Welcome to hell". This phrase is still associated with Galatasaray's home ground to this day.
Therefore, Man Utd will almost certainly face a hostile and fiery atmosphere when they visit Galatasaray at RAMS Park in Istanbul today. At the press conference before the match, Ten Hag asked his students not to be distracted by this atmosphere. "I told them that you have to be calm, not too emotional and control your emotions," he said. "They need emotions, but you have to control it, don't react to anything, including the referee, you have to stay away from such moments."
Ten Ha directed the match Man Utd lost 3-4 at Copenhagen stadium in the fourth round of Group A Champions League on November 8. Photo: AFP
The Dutch coach is confident that he will plan well, but stressed that the players will still control everything on the pitch. "You have to be confident and play the right way, regardless of how the opponent plays," the Dutch coach analyzed. "The important thing is how we play, both with and without the ball. We will plan well, but at specific moments the players have to decide and have control of the game."
Man Utd are under a lot of pressure ahead of the match as they are bottom of Group A with three points, one behind Galatarasay and Copenhagen. Ten Hag's men will be eliminated from the Champions League if they lose at RAMS Park today. They will even finish bottom of the group if they lose to Galatarasay, and Copenhagen beat Bayern - the club that is certain to go through as leaders - in the remaining match.
Head-to-head record also does not support Man Utd as they failed to win and score in all three away games against Galatarasay. When asked about this record, Ten Hag replied: "That's history and we have to play in the right style. Obviously, Man Utd have a great history but that doesn't guarantee anything for the future. We have to create our own future."
United have also won just one of their last eight away games in the Champions League - a win over Villarreal in November 2021 when Michael Carrick was interim manager. "You can always find something," Ten Hag said. "Last year we couldn't win away, now we can't win at home, and now you say we can't win away in Europe. But the team is very confident."
The 53-year-old sees the 3-0 win at Everton in the Premier League as a boost to his confidence and motivation, while insisting that United are a better club than they were when they lost 3-2 to Galatasaray at Old Trafford in early October. He went on to praise the penalty awarded to Marcus Rashford in the win over Everton as proof that Bruno Fernandes is a great leader.
Another positive thing for Man Utd when playing Galatasaray is that Rasmus Hojlund and Antony have both returned to training and are ready to play. Ten Hag also left open the possibility of continuing to give the starting position to midfielder Kobbie Mainoo - the rough diamond born in 2005 who shone against Everton.
Hong Duy
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