Following last seasons disappointing 7th place finish and the dismissal of David Moyes, the United board opted to hand the reigns to the experienced Louis Van Gaal. Van Gaal’s impressive trophy haul includes 4 Eredivisie titles, 2 La Liga titles, a Bundesliga title, and a UEFA Champions League.
The appointment of a manager with such an impressive track record should help to ease the nerves of the supporters, yet wherever he goes, Louis Van Gaal brings an air of uncertainty with him. It is impossible to speak of Van Gaal’s qualities without adding a ‘but’. Despite his success, he possesses a destructive quality that gives every team he manages the potential to implode.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the good and the bad of Louis Van Gaal, the man who’s almost perfect for the job.
Tactically, Van Gaal is a superb fit for Manchester United. Not only is he one of the best tacticians in the game, but his philosophy is an extremely attacking one, something that will resonate well at Old Trafford. His philosophy, a form of the championed Dutch ‘Total Football’, focuses upon ball retention when in possession and a high pressing game when out of it; in short, Van Gaal believes it is his moral duty to entertain the fans and he is certain to bring an attractive style to Manchester next season.
Along with the continuation of the age-old Manchester United philosophy of attacking football, Van Gaal will continue another tradition, placing faith in youth. Before the Class of ’92 won the Champions League in ’99, Van Gaal’s young Ajax team won the Champions League in ’95. This team, which featured only two players over the age of 25, included Old Trafford legend Edwin Van Der Sar (25), Marc Overmars (22), Edgar Davids (22), Clarence Seedorf (19), and match winner Patrick Kluivert (18).
Van Gaal’s preference for youth development has always been evident in the teams he has managed; in his own words, “I’m a coach who wants to – and can – improve players.” This is not an empty promise either, as Van Gaal’s impressive record demonstrates; to name a few examples, he handed debuts to the likes of Xavi and Iniesta, promoted Thomas Muller to the first team, converted Bastian Schwiensteiger to a central midfielder, and converted David Alaba to a left back. Van Gaal’s arrival in Manchester is no doubt made more exciting by his talent for developing youth, with United fans eager to see who he plucks out of one of the most revered youth systems in Europe.
On the man management side, Van Gaal, to put it bluntly, takes no bullshit. Like Ferguson, he demands that everyone pull in the same direction and those who refuse to do so are disregarded. Player power quivers at the idea of Louis Van Gaal.
He is nicknamed the ‘Iron Tulip’; while the glittering football and the faith in youth are the tulip, his headstrong attitude is the iron. He hands all of his players a 4-page manifesto that details what they can and cannot do and what they can and cannot eat (all this, of course, after he asks them every excruciating detail about their lives in a one-on-one discussion). This powerful and demanding personality is tailor-made to jumpstart the underperforming United squad as they bid to reclaim their Premier League crown.
Louis Van Gaal’s personality, track record, faith in youth, and tactics are perfect for Manchester United, however his appointment still causes an amount of uncertainty. Wherever Louis Van Gaal has managed, he has been just as likely to deliver destruction as he has silverware.
Due to his egotistical nature, Van Gaal has a strong tendency to fall out with players, journalists, and even board members. At Barcelona, Van Gaal fell out with the 1999 Ballon d’Or winner, Rivaldo, and subsequently released him from his contract with the club. As if nothing could top releasing a Ballon d’Or winner, during his time at Bayern he dropped his trousers in the dressing room, revealing his testicles to the team, making the point that he had the balls to drop anyone from the lineup. In Spain, he created an outright war with the press; when he left he stated, “Friends of the press, I’m leaving. Congratulations.” Former Brazilian international, Giovanni, said, “Van Gaal is the Hitler of the Brazilian players, [he] is arrogant, proud and has a problem. He has no idea of football. His type is sick, he’s crazy.”
However, it is important to note that these events are the exception and not the rule; Van Gaal is often misportrayed by the media, who have built him up as some kind of fantastical, anti-social tactical mastermind who only communicates with his players through scathing verbal attacks and testicular bombardment.
The vast majority of the time Van Gaal causes no issues. He communicates well with his players, most of who seem to like him, and he is a likable figure. Arjen Robben once said, “There is something about going into a Van Gaal dressing room and training sessions – there is a positive vibe and a warmth to the place.” This is the Louis Van Gaal that the United players will experience most of the time.
However, Van Gaal is prone to the occasional falling out, and this falling out is always very large and very destructive; the type of falling out, whether it be with players, the press, or the board, that ends with a broken dressing room. To put it simply, the majority of the time Louis Van Gaal is Bruce Banner but every now and then something happens and he turns into the Hulk, destroying everything in his path.
The United squad is in a fairly delicate position at the moment. Rooney has been promised the captaincy, yet Robin Van Persie looks set to receive the armband. Louis Van Gaal does not shoehorn players into his lineups, and unless he opts for the 3-5-2 he is currently using with the Netherlands, the three biggest stars in the squad, Rooney, Van Persie, and Mata cannot fit into the same starting XI (in their natural positions). These situations will likely be resolved peacefully, however when Van Gaal is involved there is always an uncertainty. This is what United fans are afraid of, the big unknown, the big but.
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