Erik ten Hoag sees ‘potential’ as Man United beat Liverpool in pre-season friendly

The new Manchester United manager Eric ten Haag The archrival won 4-0 against Liverpool on Tuesday in his first game in charge as European pre-season friendlies returned to Asia after a two-year hiatus. The Dutch coach was quick to play down the significance of the result against a Liverpool side who made 21 substitutions in total.

“I think our team played bravely and actively. We have to work hard to iron out the mistakes, but we are happy with the first game. I know we have good players,” Ten Haag told the club’s in-house TV channel. “We shouldn’t overestimate this result because they weren’t at their best… But, still, I saw some good things and what you see is that we have a lot of creativity. And I think the front is accelerating, so we have potential.

50,000 fans packed Bangkok’s iconic Rajamangala Stadium for their first chance to see Premier League stars since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Top European teams have been coming to Asia for pre-season tours for decades – this will be Liverpool’s seventh visit to Bangkok – but those trips have been suspended in 2020 and 2021.

Jadon Sancho, Fred and Anthony Martial scored in the first half for United, while Facundo Pellisteri added a fourth to reverse last season’s results as Liverpool won 5-0 and 4-0 against their north-west rivals in the Premier League.

Klopp didn’t bother

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was unfazed by the result, leaving stars like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk on the bench early in the game.

“For some of our players, the game came a little too early for us,” Klopp said. “You can see that too. Mistakes happen in football. We could have scored three or four in the last five. Minutes but we didn’t and it was our fault.

Ten Haag made 11 changes during the game as both coaches spread out the minutes.

Manchester United’s manager Erik ten Hoag calls the game on during the first half of their pre-season friendly match against Liverpool at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand | Photo credit: Getty Images

While Thai fans were happy to see the return of the Premier League giants, many were unhappy with the ticket prices. In a country with an annual GDP per capita of $7,233 in 2021, the cheapest tickets to a friendly game are $138, according to the World Bank.

“Of course, it’s too expensive for Thai people and many can’t afford the ticket prices,” said Kittisak Chumpon, a Manchester United fan from Bangkok. Associated Press. “However, it is a rare opportunity for these two clubs to play each other and it is still cheaper than traveling to England to watch them.”

Man United in Australia

United travel to Australia to face local team Melbourne Victory as well as Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. Crystal Palace are also Liverpool’s next opposition. The two teams meet in Singapore on Friday, with the cheapest tickets costing around $105.

“It’s very difficult … we haven’t been on tours for a long time, so we’ll do it now and then from here to Singapore,” Klopp said. “Then on Saturday we already go home again, so that’s good. So far, apart from the result it’s really ok. All, so far, ok. The welcome here is amazing and I’m sure it will be the same in Singapore.