Man Utd came from behind to defeat FC Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
Erik ten Hag urged his Manchester United players to believe in themselves at half-time of their comeback win over Barcelona in the Europa League.
United came from behind to defeat Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday night thanks to second-half goals from Fred and Antony which overturned Robert Lewandowski’s first-half penalty.
The Dutchman changed things at the break when he brought Antony on for Wout Weghorst, and it had an immediate impact with a goal just two minutes after the restart.
It proved to be a masterstroke of a managerial decision and after the match the United manager was quizzed on what he told his players after a poor opening display.
“I emphasised the belief,” he said in his post-match press conference. “It was too flat first half. We had our spare man, Casemiro we didn’t use enough. Aaron Wan-Bissaka had a lot of space on the right side, we didn’t use enough. I think in the pressing we could be more brave. So that is what we emphasised.
“The second was to make the sub with Antony who brought more speed in the play and who brings belief on the pitch.”
When asked about the decision to make another change at half-time, just as he had done against Leicester at the weekend, Ten Hag added: “In the squad you need different types and profiles and when your time is there you have to be ready and contribute with the team. You can’t win trophies with 11, especially not nowadays. You need that squad and rotation.”
Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
