At 9 PM on September 1, MU will host their fierce rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. This promises to be a high-level tactical battle between coaches Erik Ten Hag and Arne Slot.
Different Contexts in the English Derby
MU just lost 1-2 to Brighton away in the second round of the Premier League. The team under coach Erik Ten Hag was caught off guard in defense and squandered chances in attack. The Red Devils could have performed better and achieved a better result in that match.
In contrast, Liverpool is performing impressively under new coach Arne Slot. Step by step, Slot is gradually moving away from the significant influence left by his predecessor Jurgen Klopp after nine years at Anfield. In the two matches played in the Premier League, Slot’s team defeated Ipswich Town and Brentford with a score of 2-0 each.
Fans will witness a “Dutch derby” on the sidelines of both teams. Coach Ten Hag has been at Old Trafford since 2022 but has yet to establish a clearly defined and effective playing style for The Red Devils. Meanwhile, Arne Slot has only been in England for a few months and has limited knowledge of the English football environment. However, his impressive victories allow the former Feyenoord coach to enter the match with confidence.
Exciting Tactical Battle
On August 4, MU and Liverpool had a warm-up match in the USA, where Liverpool won 3-0. Although the match featured many reserve players, the upcoming contest will see a very different lineup.
A question arises: what is the head-to-head record between coaches Ten Hag and Slot? During the period from 2017 to 2022, when Ten Hag managed Ajax and Slot managed AZ (2019-2020) and Feyenoord (2021-2024), they faced each other four times. Each coach has two wins and two losses. AZ Alkmaar under Slot defeated Ajax managed by Ten Hag twice in the 2019/20 season. However, Ten Hag successfully “retaliated” in the 2021/22 season with two wins over Slot’s Feyenoord in Eredivisie, including a thrilling 3-2 victory at Johan Cruyff Arena on March 20, 2022, with Antony scoring the decisive goal and Lisandro Martinez also participating.