New Bayer Leverkusen boss, Erik ten Hag, has brushed off concerns following a heavy 5-1 loss to Flamengo’s U-20 side in a pre-season friendly on Friday.
The Dutchman, who took charge of the German club after Xabi Alonso’s departure, described the defeat as a “bad result” but remained unconcerned about the scoreline.
Ten Hag fielded a strong side and maintained Alonso’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation in what was his first outing as manager.
Despite the disappointing result, he emphasized that pre-season outcomes are not his main focus.
“The result looks bad, but I don’t give a sh*t about pre-season results,” Ten Hag stated after the match.
“We should never lose, not even by a big margin, but for me, the most important thing was not losing any players. It would have been better to play the match later,” he added.
Ten Hag, who was dismissed by Manchester United last October, will now prepare his squad for their next friendly fixture against VfL Bochum, scheduled for Sunday, July 27.
