The Next Big Thing
Chapter 144: Match Squad Selection Finale

Chapter 144: Match Squad Selection Finale

Erik ten Hag stood in front of a whiteboard, his sharp eyes scanning the list of names written beside it. Mounted next to the board was a plaque displaying the names of all the players under his charge. Behind him, his team of assistant coaches sat attentively, waiting for his next words.

Letting out a slow exhale, he rubbed his temple before finally speaking.

"Before we even begin selecting the squad, we have a problem." His voice was firm, carrying a weight of authority as he turned around to face his coaching staff.

"The squad limit is 28 players," he continued. "But unlike in the Dutch league, Premier League regulations state that we can only register 25 players for the season."

A moment of silence followed as his words settled. Then, Mike Phelan, one of the senior figures among the coaching staff, leaned forward and said, "Sir, that’s not really an issue."

Ten Hag’s gaze shifted to him, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, coach, you might not be fully familiar with the specifics of Premier League squad registration rules, but this isn’t something we need to worry about," Phelan explained. "We can simply exclude Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams, and Daniel James from the senior registration list. They all qualify for the U21 category, which means they don’t need to be registered in the main squad. Antony and David Jones also meet the same criteria, so that gives us some breathing space."

Ten Hag absorbed the information, nodding slightly before responding, "Oh? That’s good to know. That takes one concern off my plate."

His attention returned to the whiteboard, but his expression remained serious. "That being said, we still have another problem."

The room remained silent as he continued.

"We have a squad of 28 players, but only 18 can be selected for a matchday squad. That includes 11 starters and 7 substitutes. Ideally, I would have liked more time to properly evaluate each player’s consistency, but since we don’t have that luxury, we need to finalize our selections now."

He turned back toward the board and started mapping things out. "We’ll use the data we’ve gathered today, along with our observations from training, to make informed decisions. Now, for squad balance, we’ll go with the following breakdown: 2 goalkeepers, 6 defenders, 5 midfielders, and 5 attackers."

Ten Hag’s voice took on a more tactical tone as he explained further.

"This setup complements the formations we plan to implement throughout the season. Our primary shape will be a 4-2-3-1, but depending on the circumstances, we will also utilize a 4-3-3. Having two extra outfield players on the bench will ensure we maintain flexibility in our approach."

After briefly scanning the list of goalkeepers, he called out, "Let’s start with the goalkeeping department. Our options are David de Gea, Dean Henderson, Sergio Romero, and Lee Grant."

His eyes shifted to Richard Hartis, the team’s goalkeeping coach. "Richard, who are our two selections?"

Richard leaned forward, already prepared with his answer.

"It’s no surprise—it has to be De Gea and Henderson," he said firmly. "They were the best performers. As for the starting role, while De Gea made some errors, he is still, without question, the best shot-stopper we have. His reflexes, experience, and ability to make big saves in critical moments set him apart. I’ll be working closely with him before the season starts to address his occasional lapses, particularly his handling under pressure."

Ten Hag gave a nod of approval. "Alright. That settles our goalkeeping selection. Now, we need to decide on the remaining 16 players."

He turned back to the whiteboard, methodically listing out the defenders in the squad.

"Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Right-Back), Alex Telles (Left-Back), Victor Lindelöf (Center-Back), Brandon Williams (Full-Back), Harry Maguire (Center-Back), Eric Bailly (Center-Back), Phil Jones (Center-Back), Axel Tuanzebe (Center-Back), Luke Shaw (Left-Back)."

His voice turned colder, more analytical.

"Out of these, we need to select only six."

The real argument started from there.

As soon as Ten Hag stated they needed six defenders, a debate broke out among his assistant coaches. The first suggestion came in calmly, without resistance.

"Well, we should probably go with one center-back and one additional full-back for the extra," someone said, and the others nodded in agreement. It was a logical starting point, one that no one found reason to challenge.

Brian was the first to present a definitive stance. "Our center-back pairing should be Maguire and Lindelöf," he said firmly. "They were our primary partnership last season, and based on today’s session, they’ve once again demonstrated the best defensive cohesion. Their understanding of each other’s movements is ahead of the others. Maguire provides the aerial dominance, while Lindelöf offers better ball distribution. We need to prioritize continuity and familiarity at this stage."

Chris leaned forward, his tone measured but firm. "I’m not disputing that," he said. "But Eric has a massive case. We can’t just leave him out. His performance today was outstanding—his reading of the game, his ability to cover ground quickly, and his aggression in one-on-one situations were all on a different level. If we’re looking at pure defensive ability, he deserves to be in the squad."

Bill folded his arms. "That’s true, but let’s not forget Bailly’s injury record. If we’re talking about long-term reliability, Lindelöf and Maguire are the safer bet. We don’t want to structure our squad around someone who may not even be available consistently."

John shook his head. "That’s a fair point, but if we’re talking about the immediate squad for matchday, we can’t exclude Bailly just because of injuries that may or may not happen. We’re setting up for the here and now, not a season-long prediction."

Mitchell, the assistant who had followed Ten Hag from Ajax, finally spoke up. "I see all your points, but there’s something we need to consider—how we want to play. If we’re sticking to a high defensive line, Bailly has the pace to recover quickly, something neither Maguire nor Lindelöf are particularly strong at. If we’re expecting to play on the front foot and press high, leaving him out would be a mistake."

The discussion quickly escalated into a full-blown debate, with each coach passionately defending their position. Some emphasized stability and chemistry, while others argued for tactical flexibility and raw defensive ability.

Ten Hag remained silent, arms crossed, watching them intently. He let them go back and forth, analyzing not just their arguments but also their reasoning. When the voices began overlapping, he finally raised his hand.

"Stop. Enough." His voice cut through the discussion immediately, and the room fell silent.

"This is just the matchday squad, not our final starting XI," he reminded them. "There’s no need to decide on the perfect pairing right now. Since all three of them—Maguire, Lindelöf, and Bailly—are in serious contention, we will take all three. Throughout the week, with more training and additional analysis, we’ll determine who deserves to start."

Without another word, he took their names and moved them to the board, where De Gea and Henderson’s names had already been placed.

"Alright," he continued, "full-backs."

This time, there was no debate.

"This should be straightforward," Ten Hag stated. "Wan-Bissaka is our best defensive full-back. His one-on-one defending is top-class, and while he offers little going forward, that’s something we need to work on. We can’t ignore his defensive reliability."

There were no objections, so he placed Wan-Bissaka’s name on the board before moving on.

"For left-back, we have two options—Shaw and Telles." He didn’t elaborate further. There was no need. It was clear that both players would make the squad.

"As for Phil, Axel, and Brandon," he continued, "they should report to Carrington." Their fate was sealed with that simple instruction.

He stepped back from the board, looking at the names now finalized in the defensive department. With that settled, he turned to his coaches.

"Alright, on to midfielders."

The one they thought would be easier.

Ten Hag turned back to the board and called out the names "Scott McTominay (Defensive Midfielder), Paul Pogba (Central Midfielder), Fred (Central Midfielder), Bruno Fernandes (Attacking Midfielder), Donny van de Beek (Central Midfielder), Juan Mata (Attacking Midfielder), Nemanja Matić (Defensive Midfielder)"

He let the names sink in before one of the assistants spoke.

"Well, since we aren’t picking the starters, this should be simple," Bill said. "The first to go is Van de Beek."

Mitchell immediately shook his head. "No. If anyone should be left out, it’s Mata."

Chris frowned. "Mata? That’s a bad call. If we need someone off the bench to dictate play, he’s our best option."

Mitchell leaned forward. "Are you serious? We just watched the same drills, right? Mata was sluggish in the transition exercises. He couldn’t keep up with the tempo when we increased the intensity. His ball control is still good, sure, but how often did he create anything meaningful today?"

John stepped in. "Mitchell, we’re talking about a squad player, not a starter. Mata’s experience, composure, and technical ability could be crucial if we need to break down a low block. In the ball control drills, he was one of the best."

"But at what cost?" Mitchell countered. "He slows down play. The moment we switched from defense to attack, he struggled to keep up. When we had the team press higher, he was caught out of position more than once."

Brian nodded. "He’s not wrong. Mata’s movement was an issue. He didn’t track back quickly enough, and against high-pressing teams, that’s a huge liability."

Chris wasn’t convinced. "That’s assuming we need him to track back. If he comes on late in a game where we dominate possession, he could be the link between midfield and attack. He has the vision and the passing range to create chances."

Mitchell remained firm. "And Van de Beek doesn’t? If anything, Donny is the better option. He’s younger, more mobile, and fits the kind of intensity Ten Hag wants in this team. When we ran the high-pressing drills, he was one of the best at finding space and making late runs into the box."

Before the argument could continue, another one sparked up.

"What about the defensive midfield spot?" Mike said, turning toward the board. "Are we seriously dropping Matić?"

Brian spoke first. "We should. He’s too slow. Look at today’s fitness tests—he ranked the lowest. McTominay is the obvious choice. He’s more athletic, more mobile, and offers something going forward."

Bill nodded. "Exactly. We saw it in the shooting drills. McTominay made those late surging runs into the box. Matić doesn’t give us that."

John disagreed. "But defensively, Matić is still the better player. In the defensive shape exercises, he was the most disciplined. He doesn’t dive into tackles; he positions himself well."

Chris added, "And in the small-sided games, he intercepted more passes than anyone else."

Bill wasn’t having it. "But he doesn’t have the legs anymore. If we’re talking about a 90-minute game, fine. But this is a match squad. If we need an impact sub, it’s McTominay every time."

The arguments overlapped as voices filled the room, each coach defending their stance.

Ten Hag had been watching silently, arms crossed, letting them debate. Finally, he raised a hand.

"Enough," he said, his voice cutting through the noise. The room fell silent.

He turned to the board and spoke clearly. "While Mata is good at keeping possession, he isn’t what I need. His lack of pace and defensive contribution means he won’t fit into how we want to play. Van de Beek offers more movement and energy, which is crucial when pressing and transitioning."

Mitchell gave a firm nod, satisfied. Some of the others grumbled, but Ten Hag had made his decision.

He continued. "As for the defensive midfield role, we need mobility. Matić is still a great reader of the game, but his lack of pace will cost us. McTominay has the physicality and drive to move up and down the pitch. Matić and Mata should report to Carrington."

Mike, who had argued in favor of Matić, opened his mouth to protest. "But coach—"

"That’s all," Ten Hag interrupted, his tone final. "Let’s move on."

With Ten Hag’s words hanging in the air, the room tensed. Everyone knew what was coming next. If the midfield selection, which was supposed to be the "easy" part, had ended in a heated argument, then this... this was going to be a war.

Attackers. The most unpredictable, game-changing players on the pitch. And with eight names called, it meant three of them wouldn’t make the squad.

Ten Hag turned to the board, his marker in hand, and began reading out the names.

"Mason Greenwood (Forward / Winger), Anthony Martial (Forward / Winger), Odion Ighalo (Striker), Marcus Rashford (Forward / Winger), Daniel James (Winger), Cristiano Ronaldo (Forward), Antony (Winger), David Jones (Winger)"

As the last name left his lips, a heavy silence settled in the room.

Nobody spoke at first, but the looks exchanged between the coaching staff said it all. If dropping two midfielders had sparked chaos, then this decision was going to tear the room apart.

The tension was suffocating. Every one of those attackers had something to offer. Some had speed, some had flair, some had experience, and some had pure, lethal finishing. But the numbers didn’t lie—only five could stay.

Ten Hag glanced around at his staff, waiting.

Then, as expected, the storm began.

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