Erik ten Hag Aims Subtle Dig at Jose Mourinho With Brutal Comparison to Pep Guardiola

• Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag took a swipe at Jose Mourinho's tactics
• In his biography, ten Hag explained why managers prefer Pep Guardiola's style to Mourinho's
• Ten Hag's maiden season in the Premier League has been successful despite obvious setbacks

Erik ten Hag aimed a subtle dig at Jose Mourinho while comparing his tactics with those of Pep Guardiola. Ten Hag is one of the upcoming coaches who is seeking to replicate the kind of success Mourinho and Guardiola have achieved in their careers.

After a successful spell in the Netherlands, ten Hag moved to the Premier League, where after a difficult start, Manchester United started showing signs of improvement.

The club has suffered relapses, most significantly the 7-0 loss to Liverpool and the 3-0 humbling at Sevilla, but the early signs show that ten Hag has what it takes to achieve at the highest level.

Casemiro's stats: How has the Brazilian midfielder transformed Manchester United since joining the team?

Football

Alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Mourinho and Guardiola are the most successful coaches of the modern era. The yesteryears boast of coaches like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

Ten Hag's biography

In his biography written by Dutch journalist Maarten Meijer, ten Hag explains where he got the first tenets of his philosophy from. He sort of worked with Guardiola during his reign at Bayern Munich. Ten Hag was in charge of the reserve team.

As the Athletic reports, it is here where he observed how 'crazy' the Spanish manager was about his tactics, especially about keeping possession and reclaiming it quickly if one lost it.

In a thinly-veiled attack aimed at Mourinho, there is a line in the book where ten Hag explains why not many managers are eager to copy the current AS Roma boss and would rather emulate Guardiola.

Erik Ten Hag vs Mikel Arteta: Who has been the more impressive coach this season?

Football

"When it comes to tactics, we don’t talk about Jose Mourinho, who always plays with black."

"Play with black," is a chess reference to mean someone who moves second. 'The Special One' has always been criticised for counteracting his opponents with deep blocks and thick defensive lines. Playing with black has always shown to have disadvantages compared to playing with white.

Ten Hag explains substitutions vs Spurs

Sports Brief had earlier reported that Erik ten Hag has come out to explain his poor substitutions against Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. Manchester United blew away a 2-0 lead as Spurs rallied back in the second half in front of their home fans.

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford put United on their way, with Spurs fans fearing another humiliation after their capitulation against Newcastle over the weekend.

With United still leading, ten Hag surprised many by withdrawing Sanch and Cristian Eriksen just after the hour mark. The two were among the better performers on the night, with Fred and Anthony Martial taking their place.