The gap between Bayern Munich and Manchester United may be as wide as it has ever been in living memory, but the two still share the same values.
Erik ten Hag underlined this in his first press conference. The Reds boss worked at Bayern when Pep Guardiola - who outfoxed him in Sunday’s Manchester derby - was at the German giants.
The aim was the same when he took charge at Ajax: winning is the only thing that ultimately matters. Managers are judged on results, and Ten Hag will have been thinking about this after losing to Brighton and Brentford in his first two games as United manager.
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But he showed what he can do when his back is against the wall and put together a four-game winning streak in the league. Knock-backs are bound to happen but they sting more when the needle is already close to the bone.
The 6-3 defeat to Manchester City was branded “unacceptable” by the Dutchman, and he may have used the same word at half-time against Omonia on Thursday when his team found themselves 1-0 down.
However, he has remained consistent in his long-term outlook since arriving at the club. In that debut media meet, he said: “What we are thinking about is that this is a project, which I know always takes time.
“But I know that in this club – and I have experience with other clubs like Ajax and Bayern Munich – we want to win. We want to win every game, so we go from game to game and then we will see."
United have seen glimpses of what the future will hold in the wins over Liverpool and Arsenal. But the loss to City was a reminder to the fans and the board that they must not get carried away so soon.
Reiterating this after United’s 3-2 win over Omonia, Ten Hag said: “I think also we can deliver that [high standard], we have seen it against Liverpool and we have seen it against Arsenal but now we have to do it on a consistent basis, that is what we have to work for now.
"But it will not come overnight, it will also take more than weeks, it will take months." Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was Manchester United - just ask Sir Alex Ferguson.
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