Erik ten Hag says Manchester United are where they wanted to be midway through his first season in charge, though he refuses to be distracted by thoughts of ending their trophy drought.
United are among the favourites to seal a top-four Premier League finish after winning each of their three games since returning to action at the beginning of the festive period.
The Red Devils have swept aside struggling sides Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth without conceding a single goal since the World Cup, and Ten Hag is satisfied with their progress.
"Let's say this – I think we are in a good position, we are where we want to be," Ten Hag said at Thursday's press conference ahead of their FA Cup tie against Everton.
"The focus is from game to game, we play in many competitions, so we have to not think too far ahead.
"We have to go from game to game and work on progressing. It's all about the team firstly, and the individuals second. When the team plays well, the individuals will get better."
While a return to the Champions League is a key aim for United, the club are also desperate to end a six-year trophy drought, having last lifted a piece of major silverware when they won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
Asked what it would mean to land a trophy in his first season at Old Trafford, Ten Hag said: "I don't think about that.
"In this stage of the season, it's not what you are looking at. You have to look to get into a position where you can win something. There are so many games to play.
"When you think too far ahead, you get distracted. We have to think about the team's performance, the team's development. We have to concentrate on that and work together to get it better."
Ten Hag led Ajax to two KNVB Cup triumphs in his four-and-a-half-year spell with club, and the Dutchman is excited for his first taste of FA Cup football.
"For me, the cup is always special. I know in England the FA Cup has even higher expectations and standards than in the Netherlands, but I liked it in the Netherlands as well," Ten Hag said.
"In not so many games, you can achieve a lot. There also has to be a winner, with a replay if it's a draw. It's a knockout and I like that."
San Jose Earthquakes v Austin FC: Gonzalez hopeful ‘Quakes can start grinding out wins
Luchi Gonzalez admits his team need to learn the difference between competing and winning as they aim to bounce back against Austin FC on Saturday.
The Earthquakes currently sit bottom of the Western Conference with 10 points, having won just three games this season.
Gonzalez highlighted his team has no trouble competing with their opponents and is optimistic they can turn leads into actual wins soon.
"The result of the last game [against Austin], we didn't get the job done there at the end even though we thought we were about to, but we're competing consistently in any competition," he said.
"We've had the lead in eight out of [14 MLS games]. That does show you that we're ready, we're prepared and we compete. Competing and winning are two different things. We've got to keep working on our ability to make decisions individually, collectively."
At the other end of the table, Austin sit in third with 22 points, just six behind leaders Real Salt Lake after back-to-back wins over Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City.
Head coach Josh Wolff was pleased with his side’s approach in recent weeks but urged them to keep up that level as they head into a busy week.
"We're very spirited, we're very organised and opportunistic," Wolff said.
"We've shown we can score goals, that's not a problem. We have to keep approaching games in a meticulous way, a responsible and disciplined way so that we can win."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Jose Earthquakes – Jeremy Ebobisse
Ebobisse has scored five goals in seven career matches against Austin FC. Only Jesus Ferreira (6) has scored more MLS goals against the Verde.
Austin – Sebastian Driussi
Driussi has scored seven goals in seven career games against the Earthquakes. No player has scored more goals against a single opponent than Driussi against San Jose since he joined MLS in 2021.
MATCH PREDICTION: SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES WIN
Austin recorded their first-ever win over San Jose on April 6 with a 4-3 home victory (D5 L2). There have been at least four goals scored in five of the eight matches between the sides, including a pair of seven-goal games.
San Jose has lost four of their first six home league matches this season (W2) after losing just twice at PayPal Park during the 2023 regular season. The ‘Quakes have conceded at least once in 11 straight regular-season home matches dating back to last year.
Meanwhile, Austin have won six of its last nine regular-season matches (D1 L2), including the last two in a row. Only three teams have collected more points than Austin’s 19 since that run began in late March.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
San Jose Earthquakes – 41.2%
Draw – 28.6%
Austin – 30.2%
Onana decided to 'stand up and fight' after Man Utd criticism
Andre Onana says he decided to "stand up and fight" after a tough start to life at Manchester United.
The Red Devils are preparing to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final for a second consecutive season on Saturday after a poor campaign saw them finish in their lowest-ever league position in the Premier League.
Certain players were singled out throughout the season due to their performances, with Onana coming under fire for a string of errors early on after taking over from David de Gea when he joined from Inter last July.
However, the goalkeeper was adamant he did not let the criticism get to him.
"I arrived as the best goalkeeper in the world and 'boom' it went down. It was like 'What happened?'," he said.
"But that is how difficult football is sometimes. It depends if you want to stay down there or stand up and fight. I know what I did to arrive here. I know who I am. I decided to stand up and fight."
Onana compared his experience to that of team-mate Marcus Rashford, who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 after scoring just eight goals this season.
"We are talking about the same player [Rashford]. So now he's a bad player? No. You can have a bad season or a bad start, but the most important thing is how you end," he added.
"Rashy, for me, is one of the best players in the world. But he is facing difficulty. It's not only him and me, but the whole club.
"But he will come back. I know my killer will score some important goals for us. Hopefully, against City, he will score two, and we win the FA Cup."
There is also a lot of speculation around the club concerning the future of Erik ten Hag, with reports suggesting he could be relieved of his position no matter the result in Saturday’s final.
Onana, however, has thrown his support behind his manager, who he also worked with at Ajax for five years.
The Cameroon international said: "I'm not here to back him because he's big enough to back himself, but he's a really good guy, a positive coach and, tactically, he is good.
"If he had all his squad together, it would probably be different for him, for us, the club and the fans."
The Numbers Game: Man City set on double repeat with Ten Hag on the brink
The Premier League season is over, Euro 2024 is approaching, and now it is time for the FA Cup final to round off the English domestic season.
Manchester City and Manchester United, as they did last season, will face off at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
City won 2-1 in June 2023, with Ilkay Gundogan's stunning volley after just 12 seconds setting the tone for a dominant performance from Pep Guardiola's side, who were en route to winning a treble.
There's no treble on the cards for City this season, though after clinching an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, another double is in their reach.
"We play FA Cup [and] we can do back-to-back doubles, we have [a] chance to do this," Guardiola said on Friday. "The FA Cup for itself is FA Cup, Wembley, all our fans going to London. It's the last game of season, last effort.
"I'm impressed how well we have trained after a few days off, so focused, everyone wants to be involved, we will do our best for sure."
United boss Erik ten Hag, meanwhile, looks set to take charge of his final game at the club, with the Red Devils reportedly having made the decision to sack him regardless of Saturday's result.
Using Opta data, here's all you need to know...
What's expected?
Unsurprisingly, Opta's model makes Man City the favourites, with a 68 per cent win likelihood. United's chances are rated at just 14.4 per cent, with a 17.7 per cent chance it finishes level after 120 minutes, meaning penalties would be needed.
City are unbeaten in their last 35 matches in all competitions (W29 D6) – it’s the second-longest run by a top-flight club in English football history, after Nottingham Forest’s run of 40 in 1978.
There has been a gulf between the rivals this season. City won both of their league meetings against United by an aggregate of 6-1. The last time they beat their neighbours three times in the same campaign was in 1969-70.
City fare well in some significant data points. They have the biggest positive difference (+83) between total shots (127) and shots faced (44) in the Premier League this season, and the biggest positive difference (+9.6) between their expected goals (xG) of 14.8 and expected goals against (xGA) of 5.2.
With City topping the Premier League and United way down in eighth, 31 points separated the rivals.
City scored the most goals in the Premier League, with 96, 29 more than United (57), whose xG was also 57.
United's defensive issues have been well-documented. Their xGA stood at a whopping 70 across their 38 league matches, with only the three relegated sides and West Ham having a worse figure, while only Sheffield United (678) allowed more shots than the Red Devils (667).
Ten Hag on the brink
United are looking to win the FA Cup for the 13th time, something only Arsenal (14) have ever done more. However, the Red Devils have failed to win the trophy in four of their last five final appearances, with the exception coming in 2016 against Crystal Palace under Louis van Gaal (2-1).
There have been six previous occasions of a side finishing 8th or lower facing that season’s champions in the showpiece – Aston Villa (10th) beat Manchester United 2-1 in 1957, but since then such sides have lost all five finals by an aggregate score of 15-0.
United have won five of their last seven FA Cup games against City. However, both defeats in that run have come in games at Wembley (2011 semi-final, 2023 final).
The Red Devils have lost six of their last seven meetings with City in all competitions (W1), including each of the last three in a row. They last lost four consecutively against them between 2013 and 2014.
United have lost 19 games and conceded 84 goals in all competitions this season. They last lost 20 in a campaign in 1973-74 (22) and last conceded more than 84 in 1963-64 (89).
This is only the second time in FA Cup history the same fixture has been played in the final in consecutive years, after Blackburn Rovers v Queen's Park Rangers in 1884 and 1885, and the sensible money would be on City repeating their victory from last year.
Serial winners
Much has been said of City's dominance in the Premier League, but Guardiola's team just have to be lauded for their incredible hunger to keep winning.
City could complete the league title and FA Cup double for the third time, something only previously achieved by Manchester United (1993-94, 1995-96 and 1998-99) and Arsenal (1970-71, 1997-98 and 2001-02). The Citizens did so in 2018-19 and 2022-23 and thus could become the first team to do so in consecutive campaigns.
They are aiming to win the FA Cup for the eighth time and for the first time ever in consecutive years.
Guardiola's side have won each of their last 11 matches in the FA Cup; excluding byes and void games, there have only been two longer winning runs in the competition’s history – Blackburn Rovers (20 between 1883 and 1886) and Chelsea (13 between 2009 and 2011).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Man City: Erling Haaland
Phil Foden is the Premier League Player of the Year, while he has been involved in 10 goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions, scoring nine and assisting one. He has also netted six goals in his last five games against United, while only against Brighton (eight) has he scored more career goals than his six against the Red Devils.
Yet it is Haaland who United's ramshackle defence will be most fearful of.
Haaland is the top-scoring Premier League player in all competitions this season with 38 goals. He netted 52 times last season and could become the first Premier League player to score 40+ in consecutive campaigns.
He has also been involved in nine goals in five appearances against United in all competitions (six goals, three assists), more than he has against any other side as a City player.
Man Utd: Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes scored from the penalty spot for United in last season's FA Cup final.
He could become the fifth United player to score in the showpiece in two different years, after Bryan Robson (1983 and 1990), Norman Whiteside (1983 and 1985), Mark Hughes (1990 and 1994) and Eric Cantona (1994 and 1996).
Marcus Rashford, having been left out of the England squad for Euro 2024, will be looking to offer a reminder of his qualities, too.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
