Erik ten Hag's footballing philosophy can help Manchester United avoid making the same mistake against Everton as they did last season, as identified by David de Gea.
United take on Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday evening, as Ten Hag looks to get his side back to winning ways in the league after the bruising 6-3 defeat to rivals Manchester City. Since the derby day loss, the Reds have beaten Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League.
Ten Hag's side had gone on a four-game winning streak in the Premier League, including wins over both Liverpool and Arsenal. They now face an away game at Everton, and United supporters know just how difficult it can be to go to Goodison Park.
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Last season, as United were desperately trying to secure a top-four finish under Ralf Rangnick, they lost 1-0 at Everton thanks to a deflected Anthony Gordon strike. The atmosphere that greeted the Reds that day was intense, as the Toffees faithful got behind their team to create a cauldron of noise.
Speaking to BT Sport after last season's defeat, De Gea identified what he saw as the main reason behind the disappointing result.
"It's a disgrace from us, to be honest, we should win the game," he said. "We knew before they were struggling, but how difficult it is to play here even when they are not in a good mood, but they play with more desire.
"They played on Wednesday, they were tired, they were a bit nervous, you could feel it, and even with that, we lose the game. Of course it's not the perfect atmosphere. But you could see they were tired, they were nervous, and come on, they keep going and keep fighting to win. They had more desire than us. That is not acceptable, and it's very sad to lose today."
Ten Hag has openly admitted that the minimum he expects from his side is 100 per cent effort, commitment and desire. This is something that saw United fall short last season, and the Dutchman will surely be reminding the players of these comments as he impresses upon his squad the importance of never giving up - especially in a hostile atmosphere such as Goodison Park.
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