Erik ten Hag has praised the improvement of Manchester United in recent games but remained defiant that ‘good is not good enough’ at Old Trafford.
Victory over Leicester at King Power Stadium on Thursday, thanks to Jadon Sancho’s first-half strike, made it three Premier League wins on the bounce for United – a run that started with an impressive 2-1 win over arch-enemy Liverpool.
The 4-0 pummelling at Brentford on the second weekend of the season isn’t fully in the rear-view mirror yet, but Ten Hag has seen a notable difference from his players since that dismal showing in west London – both in performance level and attitude.
Surprise table-toppers Arsenal – who have a perfect 100% record after five games – are next up for Ten Hag’s side at Old Trafford, and the Dutchman’s admitted that he’s looking forward to the challenge of taking on Mikel Arteta’s in-form Gunners.
“It’s great and a real pleasure to face this,” Ten Hag told United’s official website. “Every game is a challenge and that’s what I want, but it’s not about me. It’s about improving the team and working on progressing.
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“Yes I watch them and my focus is especially on the upcoming opponents so this week I watched a lot of Arsenal.
“There are a lot of different types of play in this league and that’s nice to see. It’s all high intensity but the systems and styles are different, and they vary which is nice to see. But it’s also about finding a way to win against them.
“What we see in this moment is that they are on top because they deserve it. They’re playing good football and we are really looking forward to facing them to find a way to win.”
Ten Hag also touched on United’s recent upturn in form, and insisted that although good things are happening at the moment, striving to improve and be better must remain top of the United agenda.
“Not only maintain, but get better. I think that has to be our idea. Good is not good enough, we have to do better every day. Bring the maximum on the pitch every day, individually and as a team,” he added.
