Erik ten Hag‘s reign as Bayer Leverkusen manager began in disastrous fashion with a humiliating 5-1 defeat by Flamengo’s Under-20 side.
Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United last October after managing just three wins from their opening nine matches of the season.
The Dutchman was appointed by Leverkusen in May as the successor to Xabi Alonso, who left to take charge at Real Madrid. They’re big boots to fill – Alonso led them to an unbeaten domestic double in the 2023-24 season.
The Bundesliga side made the long trip to Brazil for Ten Hag’s debut, facing Flamengo’s youth side in their opening pre-season match.
And former Ajax boss named a strong starting XI, sticking with predecessor Alonso’s title-winning 3-4-2-1 system.
Senior players including new goalkeeper Mark Flekken (signed from Brentford), Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface were all handed starts in Rio.
Erik ten Hag’s reign as Bayer Leverkusen manager began in disastrous fashion on Friday
The Bundesliga side suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat by Flamengo’s Under-20 side
Ten Hag named a strong starting XI for his first match, with Granit Xhaka coming off the bench
But it took just two minutes for things to go wrong, as Flamengo struck early before doubling their lead inside ten.
A third goal followed moments later and, just as Ten Hag looked to limit the damage, a fourth hit the net on the stroke of half-time.
The new boss had already hooked Flekken and Boniface in the 36th minute, but chose not to make any further changes at the break – and paid the price when Flamengo grabbed a fifth less than 10 minutes into the second half.
Finally, on the hour mark, Ten Hag opted for a full overhaul – taking off every remaining starter, including the two early substitutes.
That saw a wave of senior names enter the fray, with Granit Xhaka, Alex Grimaldo and Patrick Schick among those thrown on in an attempt to salvage some pride.
It was academy prospect Montrell Culbreath who gave Leverkusen something to cheer about, netting a consolation in the 71st minute.
The German side steadied themselves in the closing stages, but the heavy early damage had already sealed their fate – leaving Ten Hag to endure a punishing debut.
The heavy defeat is Leverkusen’s first in the absence of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, who both joined Liverpool for a combined £145.5million.
Flamengo U-20s ran riot in Rio and were 5-0 up inside one hour against Ten Hag’s men
Ten Hag cut a dejected figure after watching his side get hammered in his first friendly
Bayer Leverkusen were treated to grand surroundings in Rio de Janerio and are left with a mountain to climb
The 2023-24 Bundesliga champions have added added to their squad with the arrivals of the likes of Flekken, Jarrell Quansah and Malik Tillman.
Leverkusen will continue preparations for the new campaign with matches against VFL Bochum, Fortuna Sittard, Pisa and Chelsea.
Rotten starts are nothing new for Ten Hag – just look at how he got on in his first competitive games with Manchester United.
After losing his first Premier League match at 2-1 home to Brighton in August 2022, his side went on to lose 4-0 at Brentford, leaving them bottom of the table after two matches.