Erik ten Hag vs. Pep Guardiola: Remembering when the duo worked together at Bayern Munich

Erik 10 Hag squares off from Pep Guardiola for the quite very first time in his career on Sunday afternoon as Manchester United choose on Manchester City in the Premier League.

Ten Hag had a difficult introduction to English football, shedding his opening two video games, but his side have been in resurgent variety, profitable 4 on the bounce in the league, which includes successes over Liverpool and Arsenal.

Guardiola, in the meantime, has previously established a famous position in England, winning four Premier League titles and a host of cups, and Ten Hag will turn into the fourth Manchester United coach he faces in his tenure so much.

The two have a historical past alongside one another as effectively, when they have been at Bayern Munich concerning 2013 and 2015 as the Catalan coached the senior team even though the Dutchman had control of the second team.

Erik ten Hag and Pep Guardiola have Bayern Munich background

10 Hag joined Bayern Munich in 2013, owning taken Go In advance Eagles from the second tier to the top-flight in the Netherlands, but the prospect to perform with the German giants and Guardiola was far too major to move up.

Guardiola himself was a new face, becoming a member of the club immediately after a calendar year-lengthy sabbatical, but his get the job done at Barcelona prior to that was nicely recognised obtaining received the Champions League two times in his 4-year keep.

Bayern Munich II were being enjoying in the Regionalliga, the fourth division, and they essential a new manager pursuing the departure of Mehmet Scholl, who was commonly criticized for treating the work as a part-time role, juggling his coaching gig with a part on Tv, wherever he was a commentator national broadcaster ARD.

Names these as Heiko Herrlich and Stefan Effenberg, who experienced knowledge coaching in Germany, were being proposed for the function but Bayern Munich Technical Director Matthias Sammer was adamant on bringing in 10 Hag, who he had noticed for numerous years just before.

Sammer initial arrived throughout Ten Hag when he worked for the Deutscher Fußball-Bund, the German FA. As element of his purpose, he utilized to journey to different Dutch clubs and observe their procedures as perfectly as their facilities, hoping to pick up a number of tips.

10 Hag was with FC Twente at the time, doing the job as an assistant to Steve McClaren – incidentally, now Ten Hag’s assistant at Manchester United – and his work and interest to detail amazed Sammer, sooner or later earning him a job at Germany’s most significant club possessing previously spoken at a variety of coaching conferences in the state.

Ten Hag was also keen to work with Guardiola and the emotion was reciprocated: both equally had a comparable eyesight of soccer, inspired by Johan Cruyff, and they could trade tips.

One particular of 10 Hag’s targets in his Bayern role was to acquire the second team as substantial up the league ladder as probable and he had various skills to work with which includes Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Mitchell Weiser, Julian Environmentally friendly, Alessandro Schöpf and Lukas Raeder. Sadly for Ten Hag, he wasn’t in a position to have them all at the similar time.

Quite a few of his gamers break up their time amongst the 1st and 2nd groups and though they couldn’t accomplish advertising, the players and Bayern bosses were favourable about Ten Hag’s two-year keep, lauding the influence he had on the facet, and praising the truth that they only missed promotion by a whisker.

Gamers had been receptive of his in-depth investigation, as he made distinct options for every of his gamers ahead of each individual game, and his in depth use of online video to analyse opponents was also effectively-obtained. For Ten Hag, it was also an education, as his business office was near to Guardiola’s, and he would routinely notice his teaching sessions.

Quite often, when gamers were being absent on international obligation, Guardiola would also give Ten Hag permission to guide very first-team coaching classes, exhibiting the faith the Catalan coach had in his understudy, and incorporating to the Dutchman’s expertise and training in Bavaria.

10 Hag left Bayern Munich in 2015 and had a thriving keep at Utrecht, prior to going to Ajax where he grew to become their biggest coach given that Louis van Gaal and is now in his purpose at Manchester United. He has fond recollections of his continue to be in Munich.

Ten Hag said he realized plenty from the function. Talking to NOS, the national broadcaster in the Netherlands, in afterwards decades, he explained: “I was formed by the Dutch fashion, but Munich has sharpened my eyesight. The encounter there, always wanting to get and Pep Guardiola’s dominant football, that appeals to me pretty a lot.

“The mental part and the team constructing are incredibly important. It’s not just about the initial 11, but about the full dressing room.”

Now, Ten Hag and Guardiola are established for their initially conference from each and every other and it will come in England, in charge of its most prosperous clubs at existing and in background. Life has come comprehensive circle for Ten Hag, and a gain over his outdated mentor could perfectly be his most important scalp in football administration.