Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag knows that he will have to copy his approach at Ajax that saw his side "flourish" in the second half of the season as the Reds push for a top-four finish.
Ten Hag will be desperate for United to finish in the Champions League places during his first season in charge. Qualification for Europe's premier club competition is something that can provide a springboard for the Dutchman's future plans.
The financial benefits associated with the UEFA competition are a key factor, with the United manager looking to continue the rebuild that saw him spend £225million on six new arrivals in the summer window. A striker may well be on Ten Hag's wish list, but questions will remain over the available budget left to sign a world-class centre forward in January.
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The congested Premier League fixture list that awaits United after Christmas will test the squad depth of all clubs. It is vital for United to be able to strengthen enough so that they avoid falling short of their goals for the season due to injury or suspension when the business end of the campaign rolls into view.
Ten Hag endured a bumpy start to his tenure at Old Trafford, yet it is clear to see that he has used the defeats to Brighton and Brentford as a learning curve for the trajectory that the club have since found themselves on. United currently sit just three points adrift of Tottenham in fourth place, with a game in hand on Antonio Conte's side.
The momentum that any team can gather between now and May can make all the difference between qualification for the Champions League or Europa League, as Arsenal showed when they lost to both Tottenham and Newcastle to eventually miss out on fourth place by two points - having held a six-point gap on their North London rivals in March.
At Ajax, Ten Hag knew how vital the latter half of any campaign was to a successful season, as he now looks to translate that same approach in the Eredivisie to the Premier League.
“Compliments are nice, but they don’t matter at the end of the season, only prizes do," Ten Hag said during his time at Ajax in 2019. "As a manager, I make a thousand decisions every day. I want to improve on those decisions and grow as a manager, so I do a lot of reflection myself. I keep the focus on what is important.
“As you go along the campaign you start to see more and more of a connection between the players, both on and off the pitch. Last season the team was good before the winter break, but it really flourished in the spring.”
The connection that Ten Hag is building with the United squad is undeniably strengthening with every passing training session and match. The Dutchman would have used the World Cup break to sit down and reflect on his first few months in charge and energise himself and his coaching staff for the hectic post-Christmas schedule.
In a competition as tough and intense as the Premier League, there is practically no room for error. The pressure mounts the closer May creeps into view, and Ten Hag knows his United side have to flourish at the finishing line - peaking at the right time to achieve a Champions League finish.
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