When Manchester United plays Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, they will want to set up a match with Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semifinal against Brighton and Hove Albion, Erik ten Hag asserted that Manchester United are now a "different team" from the one that started his administration with a humiliating loss to the Seagulls.
Pascal Gross scored twice as Brighton defeated United 2-1 at Old Trafford in August of last year, making Ten Hag the first United manager to lose his first Premier League game in charge since Louis van Gaal in 2014.
That outcome was immediately followed by a humiliating 4-0 loss at Brentford, but United has since bounced back to win the EFL Cup and take the lead in the battle for the remaining two top-four spots.
At Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Brighton will try to prevent United from reaching a record-tying 21st FA Cup final, and Ten Hag thinks the Seagulls will be up against a significantly improved Brighton squad.
We've advanced and grown, I've heard from a lot of specialists and admirers," Ten Hag added. "We have changed as a team, but we still have work to do. That much is obvious.
After Seville, it's fairly evident that I can speak. I am aware that no team ever performs at its peak, but winning is always necessary even when a team is not at its best. That is the lesson we must acquire.
Following Thursday's disastrous Europa League loss at the hands of Sevilla, the FA Cup marks United's last opportunity to take home a second trophy in Ten Hag's inaugural campaign.
Ten Hag was questioned about if he uses the "hairdryer treatment" in the same way that Alex Ferguson did after a poor performance after calling United's performance in that game "unacceptable."
In some circumstances, "yes, I can go strong," he replied. "It's a tool, but timing is everything.
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