- Ten Hag and Pochettino played twice each other in one of Champions League’s best matches in recent years
- After Ajax, Tottenham and now Manchester United and Chelsea
- The two Premier League managers have a complete head-to-head history
Mauricio pochettino and Erik ten Hag are both top-ranking coaches in Premier League, but they are still trying to figure out the formula that will bring them success.
Pochettino had a successful first Premier League stint with Tottenham, and now is being supported in the transfer markets to an absurd degree by Chelsea. Ten Hag, on the other hand, is in his second season at Manchester United. He can also draw from his experience with Paris Saint-Germain. Ajax was the largest club that he had managed before moving to England.
Ten Hag will face Pochettino in their Premier League debut, but they have already met in one of recent history’s most exciting Champions League semifinal ties.
Ten Hag vs Pochettino: Here’s the full head-to-head match record.
Erik ten Hag vs Mauricio Pochettino H2H record
1. Tottenham 0-1 Ajax – 30 April 2019
Drama was at the forefront of this season’s Champions League, especially during the semi final match between Ajax Tottenham.
Spurs had knocked out Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City to reach the final four, while Ajax’s special squad featuring players like Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek, Hakim Ziyech & Andre Onana & Frenkie De Jong eliminated Juventus – Real Madrid. Spurs defeated Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Juventus to make it into the last four. Ajax, with players such as Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beeks, Hakim Ziyech and Andre Onana, eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus.
Ajax’s first-leg win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a great start for them. Van de Beek scored the winner after 15 minutes. Ziyech’s pass had split Tottenham’s defence, and the future Man Utdmidfielder then turned and slotted the ball past Hugh Lloris.
Tottenham had a huge task to accomplish in Amsterdam, against a football team who won over the hearts of nearly every fan across Europe.
2. Ajax 2-3 Tottenham – 8 May 2019
Tottenham did not live up to expectations in the opening stages of the second leg. Pochettino’s team only had to win by 1-0 in order to force extra time, but they found themselves down 2-0 at the half with no hope to reach the remaining final.
De Ligt scored the opening goal, and Ziyech’s stunning finish put Ten Hag in total control. The young, talented and youthful Eredivisie side would make the final of the Champions League as long they did not concede three goals during the second period.
Lucas Moura, however, felt that he couldn’t let this happen. He became a man with a mission during the second period. In ten minutes, he scored and four minutes after that another. Tottenham was right in the game again with a half-hour to go.
Tottenham despite having the advantage and being a serious threat failed to score the goal that would have won the match. Ajax on the other hand was a major threat.
Spurs’ dream of European glory appeared to be over, but the stars lined up with an event chain that so easily could not have resulted in one goal.
De Ligt, Fernando Llorente combined to bring down a punt with just seconds left. The ball was then dropped to Dele Alli who poked the ball quickly into the area. The pass perfectly matched Lucas’s run, who then rolled the ball over Onana.
All of the Spurs players and their bench walked away with utter disbelief, but 11 Ajax footballers fell on the ground, realizing they had thrown away an opportunity that might never be repeated in their career. Many people haven’t, and will not.
Ten Hag will learn a lot from this experience, but it was also heartbreaking. Pochettino regarded it as one of the most memorable nights in his career. Even though they lost, just making it to the final was a huge achievement.
