Manchester United beat bitter rivals Manchester City to win last season’s FA Cup final, with then-manager Erik ten Hag deploying a motivational masterstroke to inspire his side
Erik ten Hag utilised emotional stories from Manchester United’s staff to inspire last season’s FA Cup final win. United faced bitter rivals Manchester City at Wembley last May for the chance to lift the trophy.
Ten Hag deployed a surprise 4-2-2-2 system, catching City off-guard. The Red Devils went two goals up in the first-half thanks to strikes from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
City struggled to break down their rivals, with Jeremy Doku notching what proved to be a consolation with three minutes to go. It was a shining moment for Ten Hag, with the win handing him the chance to lead United for a third season.
That did not go to plan though and he was sacked at the end of October. The Dutchman is yet to find a new job since his exit from Old Trafford, though he is held in high esteem by those who formerly worked with him.
As well as his tactical masterstroke, Ten Hag deployed a number of motivational techniques to inspire his side. In the days leading up to the match, the Dutchman screened a number of videos for his squad.
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According to The Times, one of those videos featured a member of United’s security staff. The film described her harrowing experiences while serving as a soldier in Afghanistan, with the key themes being teamwork and sacrifice.
Ten Hag is said to have shown his squad the video just before they left their Marriott hotel for Wembley Stadium. The film appeared to have the desired effect, with United digging deep to secure a famous win.
Following the game, the Dutchman would go on to hail his side’s resilience. And he also hinted at his belief that the videos shown to his side had played a key role in helping to inspire them to the win.
“As always the rivalry is always there and it is always much more important when you play against a team from your own city. For us it was not about this, it was about proving a point after having such a bad year with so many setbacks,” he said.
“The team showed so much resilience and I am so proud of them. We did some special things [in the dressing room].[The] coaches were great and the staff produced some emotional videos, the emotion went into their minds.
“The videos fired the players’ bodies and it helped that we were such a team. I am proud as well, firstly of the players and the staff. The fans for the whole season, I remember at Crystal Palace a few weeks ago we were bad and they still backed us, they are incredible.
“But we have had to make a lot of compromises and then you can’t play the football you want to play. I have been here two years and we have maybe had three or four times when we have had the full squad available.
” Football is about winning trophies at the end of the day. I want to play the best football, attacking football, dynamic football. But in the end, you have to win games and trophies. That is the mentality we brought in and we had only one opportunity this season, in the FA Cup. I am very proud of the players and the staff because they did a fantastic job.”
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