‘I never think negative’

Man Utd boss Ten Hag focuses on positives despite early elimination threat from Bayern Munich in Champions League tonight

‘I never think negative’

Manchester United players during a training session at the Carrington Training Complex in Manchester yesterday. Pic/AFP

The odds are against Manchester United as the three-time European Cup winners battle to avoid early elimination from the Champions League.

Bayern’s unbeaten record

United faces Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday and needs to end the German giants’ record 39-game unbeaten run in the group stages to have any chance of advancing to the knockout rounds. But even that might not be enough, with Erik ten Hag’s team sitting bottom of Group A and also relying on a draw between Copenhagen and Galatasaray in the group’s other game.

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Erik ten Hag

“What I know is I never think of a negative scenario, we think positive, we know what to do, we have to win to stay in Europe, it’s about that,” the United manager said Monday. “We will prepare the team with that feeling, with that belief, we have shown in the last weeks when we are at our best, we can do it.”

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Consistency has been the biggest issue for Ten Hag this season. That was perfectly illustrated last week when United produced one of its best performances of the campaign to beat Chelsea 2-1 last Wednesday, but then lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth, prompting loud jeers from fans inside Old Trafford.

Sitting alongside Ten Hag at a news conference ahead of the final group game against Bayern, midfielder Scott McTominay could not come up with an explanation for the team’s wildly varying form.

Ten Hag has players’ support

“It is the players’ responsibility, first and foremost. The players know that. It’s not just a case, like with some of the other managers, where it’s been a little bit toxic at times. The boys are firmly behind the manager,” McTominay said.

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