Leverkusen thrashed by kids in Ten Hag's opener
Erik ten Hag could not have had a worse start as Bayer Leverkusen's next coach after his first game in the dugout with the Bundesliga side ended in a 5-1 humbling by an under-20 Flamengo side in a pre-season friendly in Brazil.
Ten Hag included five youth players of his own in Leverkusen's starting XI, but they were schooled by the hosts despite featuring more senior players such as Amine Adli, Victor Boniface, Jonas Hoffman and goalkeeper.
The scorers for the Brazilian team, playing in the middle of their season, were Lorran (3’), an Arthur own goal (11’), Matheus Goncalves (40’), Pedro Leao (45+4’) and Gusttavo (55’).
Leverkusen made several changes on the half-hour and ten Hag made 10 more changes on the hour mark to try and get more out of his side, but the damage was done with Flamengo racing to a 4-0 lead before half-time and adding a fifth 10 minutes into the second half.
Flamengo took an early lead through Lorran, who scored in the third minute with a low shot. Arthur unintentionally turned the ball into his own net to make it 2-0 on 11 minutes and Leverkusen had a goal ruled out for offside after that.
Goncalves scored Flamengo's third with a header on 40 minutes before Lorran fired against the woodwork and Pedro Leao hit the rebound home for 4-0. Gusttavo lobbed the ball home for 5-0 after coming on as a substitute before ten Hag made wholesale changes, bringin on Granit Xhaka, Robert Andrich, Alejandro Grimaldo and Edmond Tapsoba.
Substitute Montrell Culbreath scored a consolation for the visitors in the 71st minute and Patrik Schick had a good chance on 86 minutes, but despite being a friendly, it was probably not the result ten Hag was hoping for.
The club is looking to make a fresh start under the former Manchester United and Ajax boss, who has arrived at the club after it sold arguably its best player in Florian Wirtz.
"It's not doubt that Florian Wirtz is, in this moment, one of the top-class players in the world," ten Hag said. "To replace him [directly] is impossible.
"[But] maybe a player can develop. That is what Bayer Leverkusen did in the past so well, they have an eye for talent. They take them, they look after them, and of course the players need to do it.
"But Bayer Leverkusen has a very good reputation for building a good pathway and that players can develop.
"We are looking forward to the next Florian Wirtz."
