It’s not natural. And it will hardly prove whether Ten Haag possesses the magic of manager Jurgen Klopp, who changed his 10 players out every half hour and Pep Guardiola possesses. This was also a first pre-season game for Liverpool, and the German’s men were half-baked and sluggish in front of goal, where United excelled in what ended as a fine 4-0 win. The manager offered a realistic assessment. “We are satisfied today because I think it was a team [ours] with a great spirit and we know we’re just getting started and things went wrong,” said Ten Haag. “We made some mistakes in pressing – believe me, I’ve seen a lot of mistakes. We conceded some chances but we also created many. Our team played bravely, played proactively. We have to work very hard to limit the mistakes, but we are happy with the first game.” In a sticky but not sold-out Rajamangala stadium, it went like a dream for ten Haag, with each of United’s four strikes offering hope for a brighter future, even if the rearguard always remains close to a last ditch effort . Case in point: an Isaac Mabaya foray down the right-back lane left Luke Shaw nowhere and David de Gea had to kill him. Other: Tyler Morton, on the opposite side, skated down the left and got a through ball that De Gea clawed at before Bruno Fernandes cleared. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah tries to contain Manchester United’s new signing Tyrell Malaysia. Photo: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA Each of these was a fast break. United’s build-up, although thinner than last season, was closer to the geometric variety that Guardiola’s Manchester City run and when it struck it was as accurate as Ten Haag would have liked. Jadon Sancho found Anthony Martial who fed Scott McTominay who recycled the ball. Fernandes whipped in a cross, Mabaya blocked the clearance and Sancho was to finish what he started, driving past Alisson. Given that the first-half back four read Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw with the same two armored players in front of McTominay and Fred, there was a clear sense of surprise about how porous this was. the unit. Fábio Carvalho and Luis Díaz each went close in a comic montage in red shirts that featured a McTominay header, only for the goal frame to stop the equaliser. United’s line-up could have been stripped of any outings last term leading up to Martial’s January loan spell and missing Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not on tour. That retro feel isn’t what Ten Hag is after, but as only Tyrell Malacia has been recruited, his choice was Hobson’s. The upside of this was that the 52-year-old could look at a band that failed miserably when they were 35 points behind City, with only re-asserted captain Harry Maguire absent through knock. Training on Monday afternoon here was instructive. Ten Haag was relentless in drilling the players, whether the activity was a large rondo, involving the center circle, a small-sided game or a full-on attack vs. defence. Perhaps that fueled Varane and Lindelöf to be on Liverpool’s 18-yard line when Fred lost the ball after some early trickery by Sancho: that’s the height of high pressure. Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United manager Erik ten Haag with the trophy awarded for Liverpool’s victory. Photo: Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters Sancho was United’s sharpest player. A trap behind the ankle with his other leg drew an ‘ouch!’ as did the next cross, although McTominay failed to make it two. Fred did to cap off another impressive sequence. This included McTominay, Fernandes and Sancho, who dropped the ball into the area. Martial was thwarted by Joe Gomez, but when possession fell to Fred, he chipped Alisson magnificently. He arrived at half an hour. Klopp had made his first 10 changes and immediately failed as the new team (bar Alisson) froze. Rhys Williams was pocketed by Martial and, as the keeper advanced, he was once again beaten by a United chip. For the second half Ten Hag changed his 10 outfield players (Klopp swapped Alisson for Adrian), this formation features a midfielder in Donnie van de Beek as a false 9. Alex Telles, left center back. and debutant and left-back Malasia in his rightful place. Malacia showed a razor edge when she cleared the ball from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Klopp’s latest constellation included Andy Robertson, TrentAlexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Thiago Alcântara, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez, making this a certified A team. But it was a youngster, Tom Hill, who grabbed Eric Bailly and looked to tee up Thiago before the Ivorian stabbed the ball home. Núñez’s contribution was to beat a save from Tom Heaton and spurn a late chance, but while Liverpool finished pressing United, Salah coming close, their overall report card would read ‘muted’. The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily football email. Not the same for Ten Haag and his men: the fourth came via Bailly’s dazzling footwork, which took the centre-back into the opposition half. Facundo Pellistri took over, exchanged passes with Amad Diallo and finished. But as the new No. 1 stated, this is just the beginning. “Liverpool play in three teams,” said Ten Haag. “They weren’t at their best, so we shouldn’t overestimate this result. We have to be careful. However, I have seen some really good things and what you see is that we have a lot of creativity and acceleration going forward, so we have potential.”
