Erik ten Hag will be busy this weekend. Ajax are playing PSV Eindhoven in the KNVB Cup final on Sunday and hope to lift the first half of a league and cup double that would bring four and a half successful years under their current manager to a fitting end. After forging a reputation as one of Europe’s top coaches with two Eredivisie crowns, two cups and that run to the Champions League semi-finals, Ten Hag wants to leave Amsterdam on not merely good but triumphant terms. His focus will be on the final.
Video analysis is a key component of Ten Hag’s pre-match preparations, even for opponents like PSV who he has come to know intimately over the course of a season or four. This weekend will be no different. But if he finds himself at a loose end on Saturday afternoon, he may want to channel hop to Manchester United’s meeting with Norwich City, just to know what he is letting himself in for. He does not need to watch it all. In fact, just the first 17 minutes should do.
