After a shaky start to this years’ Premier League campaign, Manchester United took a trip to Turf Moor, facing newly promoted side Burnley. The game itself finished in a goalless draw, which was a disappointing result for the Red Devils. But what did van Gaal have to say after the game?
Well, he labelled United as the “stronger team,” especially in the second half. The Dutchman was clearly happy with his side’s performance, but it begs the question, why not take 3 points from a significantly weaker opposition? LvG also explained, “We created more chances but we have to score them,” and with United’s incredible attacking options, I think the fans may be expecting such talent to tuck away said chances. The attacking threat that United pose clearly isn’t working in van Gaal’s current system, and Rooney and van Persie didn’t seem to work well together today. This gives LvG a problem, will he have to drop one of his deadly frontmen, and if so, which one? Van Gaal claimed that his side were making “progress,” which will inject confidence into the fans, who are definitely concerned due to recent results. United have picked up 2 points from 3 games, and there is evidently room for improvement. The boss noticed this, as he stated that United’s current point tally was “too little.” The Reds play QPR at Old Trafford next in the league, and LvG will hope to pick up his first competitive win as United boss.
Regarding players leaving the club, van Gaal insists that “it is the players that decide this,” denying reports that he is the conductor of an evacuation job at Old Trafford. Despite this, some fans will be eager to get rid of some ‘deadwood’ that still lies within the ranks in Manchester. On a lighter note, LvG believes that new signing Marcos Rojo will have sorted his work permit issue and will be available for selection by the time United face QPR.
The Red Devils have spent a colossal £150million this summer, but the boss insists that the new additions are “nothing to do with the results.” Many suspect that van Gaal will switch to 4-3-3 after Daley Blind signs for the club, as he will have the necessary players to cover each position. This may be the solution to their lack of good results, as the current 3-5-2 system hasn’t paid off in England. LvG spoke of Blind after the game, saying, “He’ll come to Manchester to have a medical, and then we might have a new player”.
New boy Angel Di Maria made his United debut today and showed elements of real class, flaunting his talent and showing how good he can be. However, he was stripped off by the manager 20 minutes from the end, and everyone feared for the worst. Despite this, van Gaal has confirmed that he took Di Maria off as a precaution due to the Argentinean taking a knock to his calf.
Overall, the boss seemed content with what was a miserable result, and has promised to the supporters that the club is making progress. He also confirmed that Blind is nearly a United player, and new boy Rojo will be available for the game against QPR. It’s not all doom and gloom for the red side of Manchester.
Sources: twitter.com/utdreport