When Erik ten Hag strolled Carrington with a Manchester United security guard, he was in his own private trench, figuring out how to fight back against unfavorable outcomes. When he inquired about her experiences, his colleague gave a detailed account of her time in the British military, which included a posting to the Afghan province of Helmand.
Ten Hag thought about this chat the week before the FA Cup final over Manchester City, trying to think of creative methods to motivate his side. The season had been challenging for United, who placed eighth in the Premier League and lost in the group stage of the Champions League.
Ten Hag would have been hoping for some redemption in terms of his status as United manager, and the FA Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s imposing City presented a chance for it.
Ten Hag then started to become creative. In the days preceding the final, he had the security personnel at United make a film for his team, which he then showed to the players at the Marriott hotel in London. The Dutchman saved the video for his last team meeting with the team before they headed to Wembley on Saturday morning because he was so moved by his colleague’s story.
The US security officer described in the video how she and her squad were stuck in a town in Afghanistan one day. They were vastly outnumbered, and no one believed they could ever escape the danger they faced. However, she clarified, they collaborated and numerous individuals battled their way out. Unfortunately, a few of her colleagues lost their lives in the process, but they had bravely given their life to save villages while serving their country.
She spoke with emotion, and her words carried a lot of weight and struck a chord with the players at United: remain together, support one another, stay ahead of the game, and strive for victory. The security guard’s account was intercut with footage of United players winning duels during games, giving their own mission to overcome all odds even more context.
She was not in the room when the video started, but the players found out after the match that she had been watching over the directors’ box at Wembley during the final, which was occupied by the club’s legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, Prince William, the future king of the United Kingdom, and owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Avram Glazer. When she went to the dressing room, the United players welcomed her and praised her for the video, telling her that it had inspired them.
Naturally, Ten Hag’s plan included more than just the film; ten days before to the championship game, he had used United’s 3-2 victory over Newcastle United at Old Trafford to test out a new tactical configuration. He moved the only healthy recognized striker for the team, Rasmus Hojlund, to the bench for substitutes and stiffened up the midfield by starting Sofyan Amrabat next to a more subdued Kobbie Mainoo and using Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay in interchangeable midfield roles that also served as false nines.
On the last day of the season, United won 2-0 at Brighton by using the same system. Ten Hag was persuaded by the performance’s benefits as a means of opposing Guardiola’s City, despite its imperfections. These victories also meant that Ten Hag’s unconventional formation—which resembled a compact 4-2-4 shape—was accepted by the players.
Ten Hag felt confident in his system, but hiring was the key decision for the outcome. Apart from Mainoo, Fernandes, and McTominay, his first-choice defensive duo of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were fit enough to start the game. The decision was between bringing back five-time Champions League winner Casemiro, who had filled in as center defender due to a wave of injuries, or sticking with Amrabat in holding midfield.
Ten Hag made a daring decision when he decided to start Amrabat and substitute Casemiro for the majority of the week in training, as The Athletic disclosed the night before the match. Casemiro did not withdraw until the day of the match, when the team sheets were first sent in with the Brazilian on the bench. The club and his advisors claimed that the player had complained of hamstring soreness.
Without a doubt, though, Amrabat made a tactical choice that proved to be a brilliant move against City—who Ten Hag called “the best team in the world” following the game. Guardiola’s forward full-backs created room for Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to burst forward, but the ‘box’ midfield outnumbered City centrally and forced them outside.
Other adjustments were also successful. Due to Mainoo’s power, assistant Steve McClaren—who has taken over for Eric Ramsay in charge of set pieces—selected the 19-year-old to mark Erling Haaland. This decision was validated when the 19-year-old outmuscled the 6ft 4in (193cm) striker at a late corner.
Ten Hag said he felt the belief growing in his team throughout the week.
When the players arrived at the hotel on Friday, their families were requested to write a message to their loved one for them to read. Some families shared family photos or paintings made by their children. Before the team arrived, these were all sent ahead and put in each player’s room.
Additionally, Bruno Fernandes and United collaborated on a letter that the captain wrote to supporters, which was posted on the Players’ Tribune website. In the letter, the Portuguese midfielder recalled how he sobbed when his agent informed him that a deal to join the club was completed in January 2020, how his kids sing songs about United visiting Wembley, and how he seemed to commit himself to the team following some recent rumors about his future.
“After this difficult season, it is my responsibility to give more,” Fernandes wrote. “It starts with me. And it starts tomorrow. We have to give everything in this last match against City, and we have to move forward.
“I love to step out at Old Trafford more than anything in the world. I don’t want to leave. This has always been my ultimate dream.
“I just want my expectations to fit with the expectations of the club. If you go talk to any fan, they will tell you the same thing. We want to compete for the league. We want to be playing Champions League football. We want to be in cup finals. That is the standard. That is what I want. That is what you all deserve.”
Although United fans were encouraged, they were also unnerved by press reports that revealed how, prior to the game, United’s management had been getting in touch with the entourages of potential replacements, including Kieran McKenna, the head coach of Ipswich Town. It eclipsed the outside build-up to the championship game and still rules coverage of United as fans and the media ponder INEOS’s future as a part-owner.
But Ten Hag and his crew were up to one more ruse behind closed doors. It was evident by Friday afternoon’s tactical discussion, presided over by his assistant coach Mitchell van der Gaag, that Amrabat would probably start the match ahead of Casemiro. Prior to presenting the plan, Van der Gaag showcased a personal video. This time, it was an excerpt from the legendary inspirational speech delivered by coach Tony D’Amato—played by Al Pacino—to his Miami Sharks in the 1999 American sports film Any Given Sunday. Pacino’s statement served as the narration, pausing with a clip from U2’s smash song One as it cut between shots of D’Amato’s dressing room and scenes from United’s time under Ten Hag.
Winners.#MUFC pic.twitter.com/q5pj3qhkT8
— Mike Phelan Coaching (@MP_Coaching_1) May 25, 2024
Pacino’s words summed up United’s own season. “Now either we heal as a team or we’re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, ’til we’re finished. We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here — get the s*** kicked out of us — or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time.”
In his speech, Pacino discussed the razor-thin margins of top sport, saying that “one half a stride too late, or too early, and you do not quite make it.” Every United player was present for the meeting. The video replayed Victor Torp’s disallowed goal for Coventry City against United in the semi-final at Wembley, where United came within a whisker of defeat, and Garnacho’s disallowed offside goal at Arsenal earlier in the season, where United plucked defeat from the jaws of victory.
Fans who watched the film remembered how every member of the team appeared in the highlight reel, including Andre Onana’s outstanding saves, United’s defenders stopping shots on goal, and famous goals like McTominay’s overtime winner against Brentford and Garnacho’s overhead kick against Everton.
To put it simply, Ten Hag and Van der Gaag aimed to inspire the players at United to “heal as a team” instead of “dying as individuals,” by reminding them of their potential. It was also an honest portrayal of United’s joy and suffering over the previous campaign, urging them to “climb outta hell” and featuring footage of the team cheering on fans following a recent 4-0 Premier League loss at Crystal Palace as well as the agony of Chelsea’s thrilling 4-3 victory over United in April. Exposing United’s players to their personal highs and lows was intended to help them emulate the highs and inspire the team by preventing a recurrence of the lows.
“Now I can’t make you do it,” says Pacino. “You got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You’re gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows, when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him!
“That’s a team, gentleman! And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That’s football guys. That’s all it is.
“Now, what are you gonna do?”
That was the question to United’s players. Their answer? Win the FA Cup.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
