He's already a big manager at a big club. I know some say it doesn't count unless he manages West Ham on a cold, windy night in Burley but in reality he doesn't have to manage West Ham in order to be one of the best.

I think the two main tactical ideas of Ten Hag aren’t explained that well. 1. During the build-up, berghuis and Gravenberch will often become two number tens, with Gravenberch often dropping deep. At the left side, Blind can easily progress the ball to the two tens, target man Haller or Tadic. But when Timber has the ball, Mazraoui tends to push up in the half space, leaving the passing line open to Anthony. So the left back has to choose between keeping the pitch narrow or leaving Mazroui free between the lines. So consequently, Anthony has a lot of space to dribble with this left foot like Arjen Robben or play a through pass to the running Mazraoui. Either way, they can create space to get a (low) cross to the striker or the two tens, who are running between the lines. 2 By pressing at the goal kick quite narrowly, the full backs will be left free. But if a long ball will reach them, one of Ajax backs had already left their position to pressure the opponent’s back. When Alvarez drops deep between the two central defenders, the back four (3+ Alvarez) is allowed to step out very aggressively to the winger or the striker. This is of course a very high risk/high reward strategy but the big compliment to Ten Hag is how perfectly everyone is cooperating as a machine.

Berghuis progression since leaving Rotterdam is amazing. Don’t get me wrong he was great at Feyenoord but he took Ajax (and himself by doing so) to a new level, the wonderful recruitment policy of Ajax struck once again… they play beautiful football but they are run even better

Lovely to see Joe learn about football in real time

It's great to see Joe using what he learned from Alex's "Why you should care about Johan Cruyff" seminar.

I remember Ten hag because of the amazing performance that Ajax put in 2018-19 champions league season that was a magical team.

Nice that you mention that ten Hag is coaching a team with former unsuccesfull mid-table premier league players and getting extremely succesfull in the UCL with them. Something that I noticed is that the players he was succesfull with in 18/19 (de Jong, de Ligt, van de Beek, Ziyech, Tagliafico, and Neres) might, with hindsight, not be as good as they seemed under ten Hag. Perhaps another indicator that ten Hag is an incredibly good manager.

He is a Great trainer but above him Overmars and V d Sar are building behind the scenes this Ajax team over again, with new stars.. just how Cruijff wanted this with them. If yu see how many stars Ajax brings into the world its Amazing sick!! So many left like frenkie ziyech de Ligt and still they killing the CL with another team🔥🔥

It's amazing how he copes with so many players leaving all the time

Can’t call tadic a Southampton failure. He did rather well there right?

Can we have more goblin talk next time, feel like you got carried away with the Ten Hag portion of the video

Ten Hag is an amazing manager. He ensures performance in the light of some very serious personnel issues at Ajax, especially last year. Onana out for months due to doping, Haller (biggest incoming transfer ever) was not registered for Europe last season, Promes being prosecuted for allegedly knifing his cousin in the knee (and subsequently and suddenly being dumped at Spartak Moskou, in a country with which the Netherlands has no extradition treaty). 2021 was a horrible year for Ajax as a consequence of poor personnel management and Ten Hag still managed to secure the championship. Amazing.

Great video. As a United fan I feel we've always been behind on appointing managers due to the inept clowns in charge. Moyes wasn't good enough, Van Gaal & Mourinho were managers past their best, we didn't go for Poch when he was on the up and then carried on with Ole for way longer than we should have. It's about time we targeted the best up and coming boss in the game and Ten Hag fits the bill. Brilliant football, a demanding winner and a modern football mind, he ticks a lot of boxes. Wishful thinking maybe but fingers crossed Rangnick's arrival & Woodward's 'departure' can hopefully start putting us in the right direction, and the prospect of Ralf sorting the football side out with Ten Hag as manager is very exciting. The worry is that he'll wait it out for Pep's job but after all, another King Eric at United has a nice ring to it

I can't imagine too many scenarios that goblins wouldn't be accepted. Maybe an anti-Goblin march? Probably wouldn't go down well there.

I still believe Klaassen never really got a fair chance at Everton. He played his games when Koeman was around (and may have not been as good as he was at Ajax, but give somebody some time to adjust to life in the Premier League please), but the moment Allardyce came in, it simply was game over for Klaassen. Having said that, I always believed Klaassen is the kind of player that would fit well in the Bundesliga, and that's where he did end up doing alright at Werder Bremen. Shame Werder Bremen itself wasn't doing too well though.

Sorry but Tadic was class for Southampton. In his first 2 seasons he was one of the best for creating chances in the league and when you look at how many assists he got for a team like Southampton, I think it's totally wrong to say he was 'alright' or a 'failier'. Ajax bought him for a reason.

What an exceptional video. Well done Messrs Joe Devine and JJ Bull!

The most natural transition for him would be to City or Barca, but with the United job not only open but being completely rebuilt in the next 3 years he could make it in his imagine something that might appeal to him lo g term.

Incredibly informative and educating/entertaining video lads! Thank you so much :D

Because they play so WIDE

Cold opens are actually hilarious and I love them

The tactical expanation is very good, correct and to the point

I am surprised he is still at Ajax. I thought he would go to Barca before Koeman and Bayern before Flick.

Very interesting how JJ compared Martinez's progressive passing to Lindelof's who came on to replace Martinez when he was injured at the end of the 22/23 season

Great content. Shame you can’t use footage as examples. Keep up the great analysis.

Great video but I think there could be some improvements. In a lot of Tifo videos you go over concepts such as positional play and high pressing. Here for example positional play was mentioned and kind of explained but not fully. I know I've seen Tifo videos in the past where you have gone into more depth. So what you could do is for example say Ajax are great at positional play, a one sentence summary ('player's movements on the pitch are structured according to maintaining strict spatial distribution') and then link to the in depth video. This way you don't repeat yourselves every time, are guaranteed to fully explain the concept and then have more time to talk about Ajax. The other thing I would mention about this Ajax side and which you did to a certain extent is emphasise firstly just how good the defence is at playing the ball. You saw at the Euros that almost all of Holland's build up was through Blind, the man just has incredible vision and can put the ball on a 10c piece with his left foot. Martinez is similarly talented. Blind's clear and obvious drawbacks in his speed and overall physicality are made up by Alvarez's tackling and tenacity. I think all of Ajax's younger members have futures at Europe's top clubs, but in an age where CBs' ability to pass is becoming more and more important, Martinez is one to watch imo.

the intros are always great :D

Big Ajax fan. Great video

JJ's opening comments never fail to make me chuckle.

But why does the drawing look like Pep 🤣

About Overmars and Vd Sar; Cruyff was the one who said, you should have people who played football in your management. At the revolution at 2010, it were vd Sar, Overmars, F de Boer, Jonk and Bergkamp

he's got flexible approach to the game can defined united this season

I think there is value in having “soft” games to really drill down play tactics in competitive games but easier games and then take that oiled machine to tougher games. Also it seems like he’s a coach who can create good systems which elevate players. It’s interesting in the past how much transfer value has been placed on players where later it feels like their value was actually elevated above their actual quality (hi Werner!)

He's interviewed for the Man Utd role. I Hope we do appointment him and the board give him time (2-3 years) to pretty much rebuild the team, like he has done with Ajax.

Nice to see this as an Ajax fan.

14:50 aged well

I'm surprised a PL team or Barcelona haven't signed him from Ajax yet. He is perfect for what Barça wants or United if Rangnick really steps down from the manager role.

Would be interesting to see how you would recommend playing against this system. Other than having the best players in the world, how would you tactically look to counteract this system

Funny how the same manager is clueless as per you guys now that he’s having some serious player attitude issues, the non-stop media pressure, injuries and inept owners (INEOS still not approved as minority owners at the time of writing). How could the same manager not been given some leeway after seeing what he can conjure up, if given the right structure and time?

As a United fan despite how well Rangnick does Ten Hag has to be brought in, in the summer. Rangnick goes upstairs, and Ten Hag comes in as a long term project manager. Hope he also bring some Ajax players with him

Can anyone tell me what website or app that tifo is using on the football tactical pad? I would really be grateful if you helped, thank you.

I wish I had Ten Hag's name. It just sounds so powerful, like a Celtic spell or a the name of a important Morrowind Villanger. Every time I look in the mirror, I cry a little that that's not my name. I scream "Ten Haag" at myself when I unscrew the toothpaste tube in the evening. "Ten Haaag", I scream when I wake up and wash my face in the morning. Edit: I have now set everything in motion to replace my shameful name with "Ten Haaaag". My wife doesn't understand why I am doing this, but what does she know. I feel like she understands me less and less. She refuses to call me "Ten Haaaaag", no matter how many times I explain that I hate my birth name and don't want to be called that. I think she does it on purpose to humiliate me. But soon she will not be able to do otherwise, she will have to call me what my name certificate will say: Ten Haaaaaag. Soon it will be.

United need to close this out and make the dream combination of Ten Hag in the dugout and Rangnick upstairs

Please do one on Ange Postecoglou at Celtic.

Ange Postecoglou video next plsssss! Nice one lads

bruno and rashford could never pull this .. let alone having maguire and evans in the back ...... no wonder why we are so bad \

I do find it kind of hilarious as a Watford fan that you were talking about Premier League failures and completely forgot Berghuis being an unbelievable flop for us. Signed him due to his form in the Eredivisie and hoped he would be this amazing creative player going forward and he couldn't even get in the team. Also funny how his main issue with us was being lazy defensively and now he's doing well in a high pressing team.

These opening lines are the best.

I actually want Ajax to win champions league won’t even be mad if they do even though I’m a Liverpool fan,they really play exciting football and they always developing new talent year in year out.I can only imagine how good they would’ve been if they still had the likes of Frankie de jong,Donny van de beek and hakim ziyech 🤯😮‍💨.

JJ commenting on Lindelof's progressive passing is, honestly, the first time I've heard anyone say Lindelof was 'very good' at anything on a pitch!

Your intros crack me up!

One of the best managers

As a PSV fan, I watched this with a begrudged interest

He's here at United and has transformed us, he's even improved Harry Maguire!!

you shoul also do a video analysis on Ruben Amorim from Sporting Club of Portugal. only 36 yeas old.

Cool crew it is!!

What app they are using on that screen??

I'm a Dutch Ajax fan and am very pleased with Ten Hag but I think he won't succeed with a big club... maybe if it's Bayern Munich. His English is poor, he's a humble guy, he doesn't have the credit yet so he'd have to immediately start winning and he's used to manage small names, not superstars. I would be truly impressed of he would be able to lift a big club to a higher level.

So if we (Manutd) appoint ETH we are gng back to the LVG era.. where multi functional players are required instead of Mou's positional expert players?😐

According to the credits, Alex was in this video? Very convincing JJ costume

3:41 depay is 3rd at most key passes ?

I want to see a video on Marco Rose's Dortmund and since his departure, mönchengladbach has suffered and will he be the perfect successor for the dreadful day Klopp leaves us

One small thing; Ajax and Ten Hag were not playing positional play. What they were doing were against the rules of positional play most of the time, but it was for sure attractive and efficient.

Coaching this high quality Ajax with top players and management, UCL, why leave for a small team ? Bayern,Real, Barca, Atletico,PSG, Juve, Inter, Milan, City,Liverpool, Chelsea, City and Man Utd are the only teams truly big enough for Ten Haag, Utd seems like the best option at the moment it's available, plenty money, seems to be heading towards better management with Murtough and Fletcher.

KNVB should now talk to Ten hag and make him the coach after Louis van Gaal for the dutch national team

You know how if you hold a seashell up to your ear they say you can hear the sea? If you hold Joe Devine up to your ear you can hear Albatross by Fleetwood Mac

Aged nicely

Has Joe been to the football tactics bootcamp? He knows the words now.

All great football coaches and players are inspired by, JOHAN CRUIJFF the true master. Ajax would win the champions leaque many times, if there players weren't bought by foreign clubs. There academy is the best in te world.

9:36 that's highly debatable, Ajax became champion 2 points ahead of PSV who faced feyenoord a week before in a highly controversial draw which if PSV won that game, they would have been ahead of Ajax and probably would have ended up being champions. And it was PSV who only 2 weeks ago beat Ajax in the cup final, so a lot being said is factually not true.

God, the opening cracked me up.

Video suggestion. Fan rants E.g interview a (coherent if possible) psv or feyenoord ultra and ask them why they hate Ajax so much.

There is one thing for sure. If Ten Hag gets the Manchester United job, given the fact that he prob. needs 3 or 4 years and pulls it off... He'll be a legendary manager and pure top class

I am not going to watch this as I love Ajax and I love what Ten hag is doing with them, no doubt you will say he could go to the prem and manage a big 6 club and that he has been linked to a big club like man utd, well Ajax are a big club and a more successful club in Europe than them but if you talk about ten hag winning the CL with Ajax this season and do it again next season then I will listen

He already reached that point

When the dreaded time comes and Pep eventually leaves us Erik Ten Haag is the perfect replacement and a natural fit.

He could very well be to Manchester United what Klopp was to Liverpool & Pep was to Manchester City.

TBH I remember Tadic as scoring some niche goals for Southampton

LoL the intertext at the start XD

Seb Haller had the movement of a fence post at West ham, can't believe he's pressing and scoring goals now

Erik Ten Hag at Manchester City would be interesting to watch. I mean we all saw what he did to rebuild Ajax. Imagine Erik Ten Hag at City after Pep set a philosophy on how to play which links to Ten Hag's style of play. Not only that but this time he will have a large budget at his disposal. The perfect Pep Guardiola replacement. I don't really see him at United as the way United play wouldn't really suit Ten Hag. The likes of Pochettino or Brendan Rodgers would be suitable for United rather than Erik Ten Hag, he be better of to manage Man City. edit: Ralf Ragnick is also suitable for United if you see how United play compared to when Ole was in charge (ignore match vs wolves).

Do Sporting Clube de Portugal

I would suggest ETH is already a big manager. He's just happy at Ajax. So he won't move for anything but the right situation. And I think that's something that needs to be discussed. Ten Hag is a brilliant COACH. But he isn't the player acquisition guy. He's not the press face of the club. He's not the traditional English manager. He needs the Continental Structure. Because his personality isn't suited to being out front, much like Tuchel hated all the politics of PSG, and was much better off when he could just focus on coaching at Chelsea. The kind of club Ten Hag would thrive at isn't one that uses the English model. I don't think he'd do well at United as its currently structured (or unstructured). He would be best at a club like Bayern, with a clear front office and set transfer policy. But they just hired a manager of similar profile. Chelsea once Tuchel leaves would also be a great landing place for him. And I hate naming both of those clubs. But it is what it is. He's not a manager for a club without a clear hierarchy.

I'm very interested in this goblin conversation

Well he's the Manager of Manchester United now 💯💯💯

Fun starter team on fm

This was some serious ASMR stuff.

The disrespect for Ajax annoys me or maybe you aren't disrespecting them and just sharing your surprise Ten hag is still at Ajax. The truth is Ajax are bigger than man utd, they have more european cups/CL than them, they are bigger than man city, arsenal, spurs, chelsea and have more european success than of all of them put together. There is a great foundation at Ajax with Overmars and Van der sar runnings things nicely and Ten hag is at a big club, remember it's the league that is small, not the club, so i get annoyed with people saying "come to man utd" it makes me want a european super league, so Ajax will be in the same league as man u and co and then there will be less people saying " I am suprised he still at Ajax" Ajax are going to win the CL this season and that will really show all those of bags of money clubs.

Watching this after Man Utd Vs Liverpool game. Ten Hag is good at what he does. To be fair, you cannot say Glazers didn't spend on the squad. Actually they did but it was done by Non Football people. As Jose said "Man Utd lack structure in its management to be a modern football team". If Glazers wanted Man Utd on top of the world they should leave everything to the people who knew what they were doing. Their tendency to micro manage everything inside the club has destroyed it completely. It's time they leave things to people like Darren, Ten Hag, and etc.

Gravenberch ALWAYS blows up on my FM saves, fully expect the FM elders are right on him

I Think They Are Reviewing "No Way Home" During The Beginning Of The Video 😆

Tadoic? Certainly not a saints failure. Was class there if not their best player. Probably the best Ajax signing of all time. In terms Of goal assists and champions league success . Proper league too

He will be coaching Manchester United now , Curious how players will evolve under him ... Sebastian Haller is the best example ...

You will hear that ten hag is not proven and eredivisie is a farmer's league. But with the players ten hag have in Ajax, bare in mind, none of Ajax current players are world class and most of them are either raw young talents or flop players in other leagues. Ten Hag made them play like they are class, even in the champions league. His tactic is top notch. If he is given the opportunity to manage a bigger club, he can be in the same class as pep and klopp. Have watched all Ajax games under him and his tactics are really that good. His in games tactics are good as well, changing according to the opponent and how the game progresses.

Who takes over after Klopp ? This guy ?

He should definitely use more goblins though

0:38 when you can hear just fine but you don't speak Scottish 😅 had to rewind that one

I think as of now in the eredivisie ajax’s scored like 50+ goals with only 3 or 4 conceded

Those damn Goblins

if erik ten hag comes to united then they should go for edson alvarez the cdm, more important for united than antony