Coach Erik Ten Hag's disastrous debut

On the morning of July 19, coach Erik ten Hag had a disastrous debut when Leverkusen lost 1-5 to the U20 Flamengo team in a friendly match.

Coach Erik Ten Hag's disastrous debut on the Leverkusen bench - Photo: REUTERS

The match took place in Brazil and coach Erik Ten Hag fielded his strongest team, using the familiar 3-4-2-1 formation of his former coach Xabi Alonso. Veterans Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface were both present from the start. But it all quickly turned into a nightmare.

After just two minutes of play, Leverkusen's net was shaken. The disaster did not stop there, the U20 Flamengo team continued to score two more goals in just 10 minutes, bringing the score to 3-0. Before the end of the first half, the young Brazilian team had increased the gap to 4-0.

The former Manchester United manager's changes didn't seem to work. Despite taking off Flekken and Boniface in the 36th minute, the changes didn't help his team play any better. This cost Leverkusen when Flamengo scored the fifth goal in the 55th minute.

Coach Erik Ten Hag will have a lot to do in the near future - Photo: REUTERS

It wasn't until the 60th minute that Ten Hag decided to make a full substitution. Stars like Granit Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo and Patrick Schick were brought on to salvage some dignity. These belated efforts only earned Leverkusen a consolation goal in the 71st minute through youngster Montrell Culbreath.

This defeat was not only Leverkusen's first defeat since saying goodbye to two important pillars, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and coach Alonso. It was also a wake-up call for coach Erik ten Hag. Despite having quality new recruits like Flekken, Jarrell Quansah and Malik Tillman, it is clear that Erik ten Hag still has a lot of work to do to rebuild and reshape the team's playing style.

Coach Erik ten Hag and Bayer Leverkusen will continue their preparations for the new season with upcoming friendly matches against VFL Bochum, Fortuna Sittard, Pisa and Chelsea.

These will be important opportunities for Ten Hag to test the squad, find a winning formula and regain the trust of the fans.

TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/man-ra-mat-tham-hoa-cua-hlv-erik-ten-hag-20250719081216644.htm