Erik ten Hag highlights his main World Cup difficulty ahead of Burnley clash

With the 2022 Qatar World Cup coming to a dramatic end as Argentina defeated France on penalties after a 3-3 draw, club football has quickly resumed in England.

The EFL Cup fourth round kicked off on Tuesday evening, and Manchester United are set to take on Burnley at Old Trafford during a chilly Wednesday night fixture as Erik ten Hag looks to regain lost momentum from the World Cup break.

There was a lot of debate ahead of and during the World Cup as to what kind of affect the break would have on clubs, and the Dutch manager has outlined the one major headache that having so many players at the finals has given him.

Read More: The World Cup rule that could help Manchester United in the Premier League.

“The first objective is to get back on track because when they (the players) come back from the World Cup they have been in different styles and systems,” Ten Hag told reporters in Spain.

“Players come back and they have been playing six weeks in a different environment and different style of play and then they have to get back to our style and system and our rules and principles and it’s a team sport,” he continued. “So all XI have to be on the same page.”

Manchester United had 15 players at the World Cup (including loan players), with only Manchester City having more from a Premier League side (16).

“You saw in this World Cup many nations played passively, waiting and playing on the reaction,” he continued. “We have seen against Manchester City, that was our big problem in that game. We want to be dominant and proactive, but we played in a different way.”

Ten Hag also outlined that he has seen a lot of good progress since he first joined the club, and was aware of the struggles he would face when he first joined.

One major wake-up call for Erik ten Hag was a 4-0 defeat at Brentford just two games into the Premier League season, with the result being labelled as one of the worst Manchester United performances in a decade.

“We are in a good direction, but still there is a lot of room for improvement – It means keeping high standards,” Ten Hag said. “I always say, satisfaction makes you lazy. If you are too satisfied with yourself and the team, you will not maintain those standards.”

Speaking about the Brentford defeat, Ten Hag said: “Where we were at the start of the season, we were just not good enough. I knew it when I stepped in that we would have days like that (against Brentford), that we would have defeats.”

Ultimately, Ten Hag concluded that the progress the club are making is visible. “I see the progress from observation and also from the data that confirms the progression. What data? A lot about our way of play. I see us progressing.”

After two friendly defeats in Spain, Erik ten Hag will most likely have to look to the younger members of his squad such as Zidane Iqbal and Alejandro Garnacho to get Manchester United through the fourth round of the EFL Cup, with the likes of Casemiro and Antony only returning to training in the last couple of days.