Guarding against complacency & stickler for discipline, Erik ten Hag's mantra for success

Manchester United’s first season under Erik ten Hag seems to be going according to plan so far with the Red Devils in the top-four of the Premier League while also making it through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Up next is an EFL Cup quarterfinal tie at home against League One side Charlton Athletic and Ten Hag spoke on the importance of staying grounded and not letting complacency creep into their game.

Despite the Addicks being 57 places below in the English footballing pyramid and the Reds being on a roll having won seven consecutive times, players need to be at the top of their game.

“Yeah. You have to be watchful of this. We have to keep this focus and this concentration. You have to work well during the days we are training. We have to keep the focus when we go to games.

ETH guarding against complacency

We have to start with the right attitude. When you don’t, we talk before, I think the level of the Premier League is dead high. If you’re not, you get hammered. If you do not bring the mental or physical output, you get hammered.

So, we have to avoid that by keep working well and do the right things.” Ten Hag was quoted as saying by the United official website ahead of the Charlton game .

One player who is definitely doing all the right things when on the pitch is Marcus Rashford. The Mancunian scored for the seventh consecutive time at Old Trafford on Friday during United’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Everton.

This is even more remarkable considering the fact that just a few games earlier, he was dropped to the bench after disciplinary breach which the player later revealed to be for being late to a team meeting.

Ten Hag: “Maybe it [benching Rashford vs Wolves] is a risk but if you want to develop something and create a winning culture, you have to go this way. If you allow them to be undisciplined, if they don’t match the standards then it will come back and blow up in your face.”

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Ten Hag has shown he is a stickler for discipline, first with the whole Cristiano Ronaldo sage and now with his handling of Rashford.

Credit to the English international for responding in the right way, something the Dutchman said he knew would happen considering the United academy graduate’s personality.

‘If it is the right person, the right human beings, the right characters, they will react like this. So, in relation to Marcus, I was quite convinced. So now in seven or eight months, I can expect the reaction he showed.”

And the former Ajax coach also revealed that discipline was the most important aspect of his man-management style and that allows the team to flourish on the pitch even when the chips are down.

Discipline is key with Rashford treatment paying dividends

And even though it was a risk he took by dropping the in-form attacker. the team responded well and they know how important it is to not let the standards drop.

“Maybe it’s a risk. But if you want to develop something, if you want to create a winning attitude, a winning culture, you have to go this way in my opinion.

“If you want to do it in your own way, but if you allow them to be undisciplined, if they don’t match the standards and values, the rules we set together as a team, that is the staff, the players the dressing rooms, togetherness, then that will come back and blow up in your face on the pitch.

“Because on the pitch they won’t act with discipline that is necessary to win games. So, it is about big responsibilities. So, in my opinion, you have to go this way.”

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