Van Gaal's Man Utd no better than Moyes' team - he has been fooling us all

Forum 9 years ago

Van Gaal's Man Utd no better than Moyes' team - he has been fooling us all

When Louis Van Gaal was appointed as Manchester Unitedmanager, some Dutch journalists wrote lengthy articles warning the English press to expect fireworks and portraying him as arrogant, aggressive and unpredictable.

He has been more like a cuddly teddy bear since his appointment, but that explosive side of his character started to creep through Sunday when he was asked why, after spending over 180 million euros last summer, he has the same point total as David Moyes after 21 games last season.

"So you have waited until this moment when you can put this question to me," Van Gaal said. "All these weeks, you have waited to put this question, the moment I have the same points as David Moyes, that I haven’t made the team better."

His answer, more than anything, pointed to an insecurity in Van Gaal.
The general perception of his time in charge so far has been that United has improved, that Van Gaal has settled a fractious dressing room, greatly improved the squad (at considerable cost) and introduced a style more in line with the club’s traditions.
But as 75,000 at Old Trafford watched United desperately hoof the ball up to Marouane Fellaini in the final moments of Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton, the reality check must have hit home. It was a Moyesian nightmare and a wakeup call for a manager and group of players that have arrogantly been talking up a possible title challenge with no foundation whatsoever.
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* After 21 Premier League games
If a David Moyes' side had failed to produce a single shot on target in a home match a year ago, the Scot would have been hammered. So Van Gaal deserves the same, especially when his return of 37 points is the same as Moyes at the same stage last season.
Everyone always said that you don’t want to be the man replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, you want to be the man after that.
Van Gaal has been given an easy ride this season. The matchup has seemed like the "perfect marriage" at times. The 63-year-old talks and acts like a Manchester United manager. The improvement on the field as seemed obvious. But maybe he has been fooling all of us.