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About Louis Van Gaal
I think it's safe to say that over the past 12 months we've been the most speculated club in world football. What turned out to be a season of supposed stability ended up in being a season of disappointment and heart ache.
So off Moyes went and we bought in the master of building clubs, a manager known for stabilising and building futures, we turned to Mr. Louis Van Gaal.
We most likely have a lot of young posters, and perhaps a lot of posters who didn't really experience Van Gaal at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich or at AZ Alkmaar and perhaps didn't really know what LVG was about until the World Cup.
So, let's have a brief recap of Van Gaal and his management career.
Ajax 1991-1997.
It was Van Gaal's first venture into football management, at a top club who were underachievers to say the least when reflecting on what Ajax is as a footballing institution.
During this 6 year spell, LVG won 3 Eredivisie championships; 94, 95 and 96. He won the FA Cup equivalent in 1993 and the Johan Cruyff shield in 93, 94 and 95.
In his second season he won the UEFA Cup, while also leading Ajax to glory in the Champions League in 1995 (then going on to stuff a strong Real Zaragoza team 5-1 in the super cup).
In 1996, Ajax were unfortunate not to win the Champions League again losing on the lottery of penalties to Juventus.
So, during 6 years Van Gaal won 3 league titles, 1 KNVB Cup, 3 Cruyff shields, 1 UEFA Cup, 1 Super cup and 1 Champions League, while also being unlucky losing in a penalty shootout the following year.
So what doesn't this tell you about Van Gaal?
He had a terrific record, going unbeaten in the 94-95 season.
But, Ajax much like United had a class of '92 of their own, well from different generations but nonetheless all incredibly gifted youth products.
Kluivert, Overmars (to an extent was developed there), Bergkamp, Frank and Ronald De Boer, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, and Van Der Sar amongst others.
Many people sit there and say well LVG was just in the right place at the right time, and to an extent you're right, he was. But he signed players like Marc Overmars (who were already senior players at their respective clubs). He didn't just get a great team. He got a team full of potential and promise but he channeled that promise, he then bought the players he needed to make sure they complement the already existing talent.
This team weren't a team of born champions, they were a team with a lot of very good young players that were transformed and moulded into champions at the hands of LVG.
However, some will call this information pointless, right? - I mean this was in the 90's what has that got to do with anything? Well, you're right so let's move on.
Barcelona, 1997-2000
Van Gaal, once again had a period of what I would call success, admittedly he walked into a side that was well prepared by Sir Bobby Robson. Having a couple of years previous signed Ronaldo for just under 20 Million.
During his time at Barcelona Van Gaal followed the early successes of Robson and won the league title twice in his first 2 years, as well as tasting success in the Copa Del Rey.
Unfortunately, Van Gaal (like many before him) likes to be in charge of the football club not the football team, clashes with 'star names' such as Rivaldo lead to heavy interrogation from the press and heated discussions with Mr. Robson and the rest of the Barcelona Hierarchy.
Barcelona took the corner of Rivaldo, and ultimately lead Van Gaal to believe that the clubs system, heritage and belief had led to the club not believing in his philosophy. He felt he could no longer communicate and work with the players, the staff and the media. Which ultimately led to his resignation (although it's believed it was a mutual agreement after the Barcelona lost out in the league title race).
Van Gaal is known for this immortal quote, which I love. Roughly translating as; Press, Media and those alike, I am leaving, congratulations.
So what next for Van Gaal?
He followed Barcelona up with his first spell with the Holland national team.
Van Gaal started incredibly poorly, drawing with Ireland, and losing to Portugal.
Things picked up after as the campaign kicked off, however we started to see the arrogance of Van Gaal, in his last game against Ireland he claimed that Holland were miles better and would walk the game. Eventually Ireland went on to win the game 1-0 and Holland didn't qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
This was a massive learning curve for Van Gaal it what was a turbulent few years in his career.
Barcelona Round 2 soon followed.
There are a lot of similarities between this team and the current Manchester United team.
It was a talented squad that possessed some good players, some average players. But a big gap between those declining and those yet to reach their potential.
There were a few star names of course but there was no longer a team that could compete on all fronts.
The first thing LVG done upon his re-arrival was put his foot down, he released Rivaldo; something that had to be done if he was to even stand a chance of being successful the second time around.
Once again, similar to with the national team Barcelona started poorly, and continued to play poorly even with the new additions, Riquelme being the biggest name.
In the league Barcelona suffered, big defeats to relegation candidates and in what was a strong La Liga division that year (contrary to what most believe) with 29 points separating 20th and 4th.
In the champions League however things went really well for Van Gaal, winning all of his games in charge in the competition.
Not much else can be said, apart from his MUTUAL agreement to leave Barcelona in January seemed to please a lot of people. Once again, it felt as if Van Gaal couldn't make things work around the player power and lack of adaptation from the Barcelona players (even though, ironically it contained players from his Ajax days).
After a poor start to the noughties, Van Gaal took a year out from management to return to Ajax in a directing capacity but later resigned due to issues with new Southampton boss Ronald Koeman (although I don't think that's anything worth mentioning really).
His venture back to Holland and his spell with AZ Alkmaar is something remarkable, something you wouldn't really see at any other club around the world.
Things started well at AZ with a 2nd and 3rd place finish in his first 2 seasons in charge, while also doing well in the KNVB Cup, only to be beaten in the final on penalties against the club which first met his philosophy, Ajax.
This next bit of the story is where you realize what Louis Van Gaal is as a manager, as a person and as a leader - In the 06/07 season things fell apart at Alkmaar, this once competing side fell to mid-table mediocrity in a similar fashion to United last season.
AZ Alkmaar with Van Gaal at the helm finished 11th. He felt abandoned by his players and accused them of lacking the required bite they needed, they lacked belief, belief in the system, belief in the philosophy, and they lacked belief in Van Gaal.
However, once this news broke that LVG was to step down at the end of the season he was approached by several of his squad. What they asked for is something you don't see in modern day football.
These players knew they let Van Gaal down, they knew that it wasn't the system that didn't work, it wasn't the lack of fitness or the lack of team understanding it was down to them. So, they asked Van Gaal to remain in charge for one more season while they show him what they're capable of.
This AZ team that was predicted to finish midtable took on the advice of Van Gaal, they worked under the system, the philosophy and although they lost some games at the beginning of the season they went on a formidable unbeaten run which left them comfortably top of the league with the best defensive record and 2nd best offensive record.
That's a tremendous achievement, it also shows what happens if you take your managers beliefs on board and play the way he wants you to play.
This feat didn't go unnoticed and soon enough Van Gaal was given one of the biggest jobs in football, managing Bayern Munich.
Van Gaal started terribly in Munich even with new signing Arjen Robben by his side, winning only 1 of his first 4 games in charge, they were also on the brink of an early Champions League exit thanks to Bordeaux stealing 2 shocking wins.
As the season went on, things went from bad to worse; Rivals Bayern Leverkusen sat comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga and the media was calling for his head, yet in typical Van Gaal fashion he echoed a now familiar statement to United fans, this team needs time to play his way, to play his philosophy.
In a bid to perhaps save his job Van Gaal looked away from the staples of that Bayern side, the likes of Luca Toni were moved on in favour of a newer, young more versatile model. There were debuts handed to the likes of Muller and Badstuber, Bastian Schweinsteiger was reinvented, going from a flying winger to a more disciplined defensive midfielder.
Then we saw it, the Van Gaal train came into full throttle, just like it did in the early years at Ajax and Barcelona, just like we'd sign during his spell at AZ Alkmaar. Bayern crushed Juventus 4-1 to qualify into the knock out rounds of the Champions League and things just got better from there.
Come the end of the season Bayern had leap frogged rivals Leverkusen at the head of the table and secured an impressive win over Werder Bremen winning 4-0 in the German cup. Domestically Van Gaal had performed a miracle, only 6 months earlier Van Gaal was on the platform waiting for the train to Sacked City now he's secured a domestic double and becomes the first ever Dutch coach to win the Bundesliga.
Meanwhile, the Champions League was in full flow. The first to meet Bayern in the round of 16 was Fiorentina.
Bayern who looked to have the early edge, beating Fiorentina 2-1 at home before going off to Italy and sealing the tie with a 3-2 loss, putting them through on aggregate.
Next up, were Manchester United fresh off the boat without star Cristiano Ronaldo who departed for Real Madrid in the previous summer. This Manchester United side had been in 2 finals in 2 years, they were the top dogs in England and only 2nd to Barcelona in world football.
It looked as If Bayern were again going to edge into the Semi-Final, beating United at home thanks to a late strike from Ribery which cancelled out Rooney's 2nd minute opener and a super late goal for Olic.
In the reverse fixture things looked to be doing downhill and fast for Bayern, the unlikeliest of scorers, Darren Gibson giving United the lead in the 3rd minute, which was then doubled by one of the rare decent performances from Nani making it 2-0 within 10 minutes.
Nani again, making it 3-0 before halftime, before Olic just a few minutes later buried 1 to give Bayern a life line.
Rafael saw red early in the 2nd half, but thanks to a brilliant strike in the dying quarter of the game, Arjen Robben sent Manchester United packing and sent Bayern through to the Champions League Semi-final where they played and destroyed a pathetic Lyon side 4-0 on aggregate.
Bayern were through to the final, however they were against Giant killers, Mourinho's unexpected Inter Milan side had beaten Barcelona, arguably the best side in world football, the best side in footballing history.
So here we have it, the master and the student. Van Gaal vs Mourinho. The two most arrogant men in football squaring off in the Champions League final.
Unfortunately it wasn't to be Van Gaal, whose Bayern side were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho.
Van Gaal's first season at Bayern had drawn to a close. He had gone from being one foot out the exit door (if the media were to be believed) to being the master mind behind a domestic double and an unfortunate Champions League final loss.
Unfortunately to say the least that was the last of the good times for Van Gaal, despite a nothing victory in the DFL-Super cup Bayern decided to announce the departure of Van Gaal in April after he left the team fighting and losing for 3rd place. - It's worth noting that Van Gaal was going to leave at the end of the season regardless due to disputes with the Munich board. - A losing battle if ever there was.
A return to Holland was on the cards next for Van Gaal taking over from a horrific Euro 2012 campaign where Holland failed to win a single point. Bert van Marwijk resigned soon after and Van Gaal began doing what he does best, rebuilding. Bringing in the likes of Kevin Strootman into the fold Holland went on to record a formidable record in qualifiying for the 2014 world cup, winning 9 and losing 1 of their 10 qualification games racking up an incredible goal difference of +29.
The disheartening friendly results and the lingering of the Euro 2012 campaign is what caused many to write off this young, inexperienced and average looking Holland side. On paper this side shouldn't have made it out of the group, especially when the loss of Kevin Strootman and the fears over the fitness of Robin Van Persie was raised.
But Van Gaal had this side playing for him, playing his system and it worked, humiliating my beloved Spain 5-1 in the opening game, coming from a goal behind to do so. The men in orange had destroyed the reigning World and European champions. Since when could De Guzman, De Jong and Sneijder compete with Xavi, Iniesta and Alonso?
This Holland side went on to record decent, not extraordinary but certainly solid wins against Chile, Australia, Mexico and Costa Rica - in which the world saw the 'balls' of the new Manchester United manager as he subbed his first choice goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen for Premier League shot stopper Tim Krul just seconds before the end of Extra Time. Making big calls in big games is exactly what Van Gaal is not scared to do and in this instance it paid off big time.
Unfortunately Holland ran out of energy towards the end of the tournament, being beaten on penalties by a largely nonthreatening Argentina side which knocked them out of the tournament and into the 3rd place playoff where the dismembered a disheartened Brazil side, beating them 3-0.
There's your history of Van Gaal and his managerial career.
Looking towards the future, it's uncertain to tell what sort of impact Van Gaal will have on Manchester United. But, the best way to look towards the future is to look towards common patterns in the past.
Looking back over his managerial career we can establish that a few things could happen or are likely to happen at Manchester United this season and in future seasons.
1) It will take time, with the exception of Ajax in 1991 and Barcelona in 1997 Van Gaal has never had a smooth opening season. Bayern provided spoils towards the end but huge turbulence at the beginning.
Things will get worse before they get better, he's told us it will take 3 months and like it or not it will take 3 months minimum before this side play the way he wants it to play.
2) Louis Van Gaal will not ruin his reputation for anybody, he needs complete control, if he feels the board, the owners or the players aren't giving him their all then he will likely walk. Whether its transfer dealings, full support, effort in training, belief in his system, etc.
Van Gaal is a manager that will not tolerate anything which will have an impact on him. No club is bigger than Van Gaal. You'll do well to remember that.
3) If the old guard aren't cutting it, he will play the youth. Especially at Bayern, when things weren't working and the old guard weren't playing the way they should be, then Van Gaal will kill 2 birds with 1 stone. The youth will play and develop while fulfilling his wishes and learning his system.
4) Van Gaal is not a long term manager, the majority of his managerial career has involved him being with clubs for 3 years or less. Expect the same at United unless he manages to turn Manchester United into a Van Gaal worshipping machine.
5) Expect big fall outs. The rumor mill is already in full swing, rumors of Welbeck and Zaha falling out with Van Gaal and I'm sure we'll soon hear rumors of other senior players falling out with him too. Not to mention the board, if Woodward doesn't bring in the players he desires then words will be had, and depending on the severity and how critical Van Gaal thinks it is he may walk, he may make it public or he may give Ed Woodward a black eye. I guess we'll see.
They are 5 things that I believe we will see in some aspect at Manchester United before Van Gaal ends his reign.
His tactical set up will not change, 3-5-2 will be the way Manchester United play until Van Gaal has the personnel to player otherwise, which probably means a new RB, 2 central midfielders, another winger and 2 new forwards to compete with the first team. That is unlikely to happen during the next 3 years on his contract so get used to 3-5-2. It will not change. Van Gaal will walk if he believes the players aren't providing him with the ability and skill to play this system. He is never wrong, it will never be the system, only the players and their beliefs.
I'm expecting Van Gaal to be an initial success, I'm expecting a League challenge in the 2nd year of his reign but I'm also expecting a decline in his 3rd year, still a top 4 spot but certainly a decline of sorts. I'm also expecting this season to end with a top 4 spot.
A lot will depend on how far the top 4 are from us come Christmas, but I believe once the team is settled it will go on some form of a winning streak, see AZ Alkmaar 2008/09, Ajax 1994/95 and Bayern 2009/10 and perhaps challenge for the Champions League.
On a side note, a lot has been said about what if Moyes were still here?
I strongly believe that David Moyes shouldn't have been sacked. We have a better manager now and I'm all for that, but that's beside the point.
Moyes would have bought this summer, he would have set up a system that worked with players that worked and although it may not have been the most exciting brand of football I have no doubt that if it's Van Gaal or David Moyes we would be in the top 4 come next summer. That however is just my opinion on the matter.
It's clear for us all to see that regardless of the system our current crop isn't good enough to win trophies, I stand by the fact that Sir Alex built Manchester United and then ruined it to protect his reputation. That is just my opinion though. I think he knew full well that the new manager would have problems and it would be a long time before this club could compete at the very top of English Football again - A top 4 finish is not competing at the top.
I think it was the reason an established name wasn't given the job after he left, I think it's the reason that we had no Mourinho, no guardiola, no Klopp and no ancelotti.
Hopefully the appointment of Van Gaal will speed things up, but ultimately I blame Sir Alex for the fall, not Moyes, I wish Moyes had been given until the end of this season but regardless, I'm happy with where we are under Van Gaal - I understand that Van Gaal is a better manager on paper and I'm pleased we have him here. I just think David Moyes was treated unfairly at times.
His comments to the press didn't help, but to me that was a man backed into a corner, made to take the fall for something he knew little about.
Fellaini wasn't a great signing but Moyes could have had him 5th or 6th on the list, and when a lot of players said no Woodward may of just gone and got the 'easy one'.
I'm not saying Moyes was amazing, I'm just saying perhaps it was the wrong decision or at least at the wrong time, I guess time will tell.
Anyway that's for another post!
Have a fantastic week guys and I look forward to hearing from all you!
The Moon
29 August 2014
Thanks Moon - quality article and when put together. The story then your assessment, useful.
Personally I think it's like flipping a coin. One of the very first things he did was criticise the board for the tour in the US - he is not liking that aspect of the club and it certainly wont change, so bearing in mind your story of his career, he wont be with us long on the aspect alone (he will not have full control). Aside from AZ he has managed the top clubs in each league, with nominal competition - we have 6-7 teams now in the Prem that are better on the eye and would expect to take points of us each game. I have written a few scathing attacks about his decision making thus far.
I agree Moyes was let go too soon, why spend so much money on Mata if Moyes was on a tightrope? But the brand of football was atrocious, LVG's brand thus far has looked worse, that should change but it will take more than a season by the looks of things, dependent on how busy he is over the next couple of days.
3-5-2 will not work in the Premier League - the managers have studied this tactic and know how to defeat it with ease, especially as we have so many square pegs. Using your excellent blog I would be amazed if he is still manager come May, not having full control, players not adapting, 3-5-2 not workable, players complaining, fans being bored - anyone of these reasons will push him over the edge.
Cheers Moon.
29 August 2014
I agree over moyes i would of give him another year
29 August 2014
Good article, Thanks