Ten Hag employed a three-man defense and gave starts to several young players, including defenders Ben Hawighorst (17) and Ferdinand Pohl (18), and midfielders Nebe Sirak Domnic (16), Osman Turay, Jeremiah Mensah, and Axel Tape (all 17). He also started veterans such as goalkeeper Mark Flekken and forward Victor Boniface.
This lineup struggled, conceding four goals to Flamengo's U20 team in the first half. Early in the second half, the Brazilian side added another goal through Gustavo to make it 5-0.
 |
Coach Erik ten Hag shakes hands with a U20 Flamengo player after the friendly at Jose Bastos Padilha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 18/7. Photo: Reuters |
Coach Erik ten Hag shakes hands with a U20 Flamengo player after the friendly at Jose Bastos Padilha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 18/7. Photo: Reuters
Ten Hag substituted Flekken and Boniface after 30 minutes, and made 10 more changes at the 60-minute mark, introducing key players like Granit Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo, Patrik Schick, and Robert Andrich. Leverkusen's performance improved, but they only managed a single goal, scored by Culbreath in the 70th minute.
The 5-1 loss in their first friendly highlights the work ahead for Ten Hag, who signed a two-year contract to succeed Xabi Alonso. Leverkusen's upcoming matches include games against Bochum on 27/7, Fortuna Sittard on 1/8, AC Pisa on 5/8, and Chelsea on 8/8. Their Bundesliga opener is against Hoffenheim at home on 23/8.
This summer, Leverkusen lost key players including Jonathan Tah (to Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz, and Jeremie Frimpong (both to Liverpool). Conversely, the 2023-2024 Bundesliga champions acquired Jarell Quansah from Liverpool, Malik Tillman from PSV, Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin, and Mark Flekken from Brentford.
Born in 1970, Ten Hag played as a central defender from 1989 to 2002, primarily for Dutch clubs. His coaching career began at Go Ahead Eagles in the Dutch second division, where he immediately earned them promotion before moving on to manage Bayern Munich's reserve team. During this time, Ten Hag maintained a good relationship with Bayern Munich's first-team coach, Pep Guardiola. After two years in Germany, Ten Hag returned to the Netherlands, leading Utrecht to 5th and then 4th place in the Eredivisie.
Ten Hag's career took off after joining Ajax in December 2017. Less than two years later, he guided Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1997, where they were knocked out by Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham. After winning a third consecutive Dutch title, Ten Hag left Ajax for Manchester United in the summer of 2022.
During his two seasons at Old Trafford, Ten Hag won two trophies: the 2023 League Cup and the 2024 FA Cup. However, poor results in the Premier League and European competitions led to his dismissal in late October 2024. At the time, Manchester United were 14th in the table, their worst ever start to a Premier League season.
Compiled by Hong Duy
