Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has reportedly been confronted by a group of senior players over the training methods that he employs at the club. According to Marc Williams of the Daily Star, there was a meeting a few weeks ago where the manager was told that his methods are ‘hampering’ the performances of the players. Manchester United’s start to the season has been considered poor, despite the fact that they have taken seven points from four games; the performances have been very far from convincing with the two wins accumulated being decided by a one goal margin.
United have had a host of problems since van Gaal took over as the manager, last season the performances of the club suffered early into the season as players weren’t used to his training methods and subsequently a lot of first team players ended up injured. van Gaal has insisted that all players must adapt to his philosophy however his philosophy has changed the Football that United are known for playing. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the red devils were a side that constantly pressed their opponents however under van Gaal, United’s football has become more patient, predictable and the team has lost their attacking impetus.
The change in Manchester United’s football was summed up by the manager when on Wednesday he confirmed that he didn’t expect the red devils to be in contention for the league title but rather to fight for a spot in the top three and possibly a cup.
Last season Manchester United’s football was a cause for concern amongst fans as the play was largely uninspired for most parts of the season and when United managed to put together their longest run of wins, a lot of them were thoroughly unconvincing. It isn’t to say that Louis van Gaal, can’t get United to play the standard of football that is expected of them as United went through a run of fixtures late last season which saw them pick up five wins from an equal amount of convincing performances.
van Gaal remains a top class manager and has managed to lure top class talents such as Victor Valdesand Bastian Schweinsteger to the club. The implication is that fans are still yet to see the best of Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United, however if that doesn’t come soon then van Gaal could end up in a similar situation to former manager David Moyes.
