Joseph Oosting is confident that his Twente side will defy all the odds and put on a memorable performance for the Twente faithful in tomorrow’s match against Manchester United.
Twente had an impressive campaign last season, finishing third, securing a Europa League spot ahead of AZ Alkmaar and Ajax. The Reds have continued their good form in the Eredivisie, winning three of their six games so far, which currently has them sit fourth in the table.
The Dutch manager has said “If there is one thing I can not hope for, it is that it will be an outing for Twente. I am appealing now: I do not want to see any Twente players in the stadium taking a picture. No selfies”, he emphasizes. “Then you are already behind 3-0. Just play that match as if you can win it, with that intention. And be humble if you get a spanking. But do not say in advance: oh great, we are going on a nice school trip.”
On the other hand, FC Twente fan and Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag said ‘Of all the teams, Twente is the team I follow the most. I watch them as a fan, as a supporter, not as an analyst. It’s a different way of watching their games. Twente brought me a lot, I was put through their academy, so for me great deal of history there.”
Ten Hag had three stints at Twente as a player – 1989-1990, 1992-1994, and 1996-2002. He also won the KNVB Cup in 2001. He will now host the Dutch side at Old Trafford as a Manchester United United manager on Wednesday.
The Dutchman has managed against Twente as well, during his time at Ajax and FC Utrecht. He’s faced the Tukkers 12 times, winning seven times, losing thrice, and drawing twice.
The match will take place as the opening game of the new Europa League league phase, replacing the group stage. United will play eight times, rather than six, and will progress directly through to the knockout rounds if they finish in the top eight of 36 teams.
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Oosting is confident that his Twente side will perform well against Manchester United, as he will feel they can set up to stifle the Red Devils, and stop them from creating goalscoring opportunities.
He encourages Twente to play the match as if it were a winnable one and be humble if they get a heavy beating. Erik Ten Hag, despite his love and affiliation towards Twente, will hope to dispatch the Dutch outfit and deny them of a memorable night out in Manchester in the process.
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