Red
Devils go Dutch
When
Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester at the conclusion of the 2012/13 season, no
one could have predicted the disaster that would follow. The Scotsman was the mortar
holding this ailing team together, and with his departure, the bricks at Old
Trafford began to crumble. David Moyes came in, lacking a clear plan and direction,
nearly capsizing this sinking ship. The rest is history.
Thankfully, for the sake of the supporters,
the sun rises with every new day – and Red Devils fans will take the news of
David Moyes’ departure as a chance to turn the page on a disastrous campaign in
search of brighter days ahead. Enter Louis van Gaal.
The Dutchman’s abrasive management style
has come under plenty of scrutiny during his time with other top European
clubs. He tends to act more as a dictator than coach. Normally these tendencies
are less than ideal when attempting to manage a group of star players, and in
the past they have led to bitter break-ups with both Barcelona and Bayern
Munich.
However, this might be a best-case scenario
for Manchester United; a club with a fractured ego and damaged reputation could
use Van Gaal’s disciplinarian tactics to help restore confidence within Old
Trafford.
“It is not a question you can answer
easily,” now former United defender Nemanja Vidic told BBC Sport regarding what went wrong for them this season.
“Everything did not happen in one week. You can’t say this or that happened. In the cycle of one year, there are a lot of things. But when we lost the chance to win the title, we knew this season was lost. Then it is like resetting a computer and starting again. You want to see lights for the next season. It was a bad time and the players could have done better. But everyone lost belief in the team,” he added.
Van Gaal’s services could not be coming at
a more crucial time. The Dutchman is a proven winner with a track record that
speaks for itself. He has often been criticized for his two year tenure in
Bayern Munich, despite a less than ideal working atmosphere.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Franz Beckenbauer
put the Dutchman under constant scrutiny. The ‘he said, she said’ culture
within Bayern’s camp led to a endless game of one-upmanship, which left Van
Gaal with little reason to believe this was his team.
He was never able to run Bayern the way he
wanted, without interference from the higher ups, yet still delivered the
league title in his first season in charge, being voted Coach of the Year and
becoming the first ever Dutch manager to win the Bundesliga. The majority of
players came to accept his punitive management style as the team continued to
get results.
His second season was much less impressive,
but the blame can not be placed solely on the shoulders of the enigmatic Van
Gaal. Bayern have historically struggled after big tournaments, and that is
what happened in 2011, following the World Cup in South Africa. Nine Bayern
players made it to the final stage of the tournament (third-place match and
final), including Arjen Robben, who returned to the team severely injured.
After a calamitous start to the season, the
Dutchman was put under close examination, with every dropped point considered a
stepping stone towards his termination. Bayern never managed to rebound from
their slow start and he was sent packing after less than two full seasons in
charge.
Van Gaal was looked upon as a failure, and
was accused of having left the club in a fractured state. However, often
overlooked are the many good things he did for Die Roten (The Reds). He converted Bastian Schweinsteiger, playing winger for
the Bavarians at the time, to a defensive midfielder, where he is now
considered top in the world at that position.
The Dutchman’s ability to spot talent has
never been questioned, and he has always been a firm believer of promoting from
within. With Bayern, Van Gaal gave his utmost respect to two youth team
players, relative unknowns at the time, Thomas Muller and Holger Badstuber. He
recognised their talent and work ethic, selecting both players for the first
team, and they repaid his support. The pair played an important role during his
tenure, and continue to lead the team today – much like he did with Xavi in
Barcelona, giving the 18-year-old youth team player his first chance with the
senior squad, while also rewarding him with his first ever Champions League
start with the Blaugrana (Barcelona) at Old
Trafford.
Van Gaal’s ability to spot talent extends
further than just the pitch, which is why his arrival at Old Trafford should be
welcome news for Ryan Giggs. When the Dutchman was first hired by Barcelona, he
encountered a man on his staff by the name of Jose Mourinho. Van Gaal
recognised his potential and took the inexperienced Portuguese assistant under
his wing. Mourinho learned – and continues to credit the Dutchman for helping
him grow into the manager he is today.
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| Source: Elmundo.es |
The current Chelsea boss was taken aback by
the standard to which Van Gaal held his players, and the structure of his
training regimen. He knew what they were going to do, when they were going to
do it and how they would approach it. Van Gaal also let Mourinho take on much more
responsibility, entrusting him with the Barcelona B team, and even letting him
take over as first team manager for lesser cup games.
Aside from his six years at Ajax, where he
won 11 trophies, Van Gaal has never spent more than four years in one place. Whether
or not he is considered a long term replacement at Manchester United is still a
relative unknown. If his time at the club lasts just a few seasons, they will
have a sure-fire replacement in Ryan Giggs. The Welshman will be groomed by Van
Gaal from the start, which should ensure he has a bright managerial future,
whether it’s with Manchester United or elsewhere.
One thing we know for sure, is the
Dutchman’s no nonsense attitude is best suited to help transition a club like
Manchester United back to their winning ways. The Red Devils’ catastrophic past
season has brought many players into the spotlight, and not for good reasons. A
lack of accountability within the dressing room showed the need to clean house
on Sir Matt Busby Way. The competitive level within the team began to disappear and
the season was written off long before the final matches were played.
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| Source: BBC.com |
Van Gaal’s aggressive management style
means he will not shy away from making difficult decisions, parting with
players who aren’t willing to put in the required effort this club needs to get
back on track. This is a process which is already underway.
Club legends Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and
Patrice Evra are set to leave the club, with more expected to follow. The
amount of waste collected within the team over the past few seasons is uncanny.
Van Gaal will not hesitate to remove the excess fat, keeping around only those
willing to put in the work and adapt to his system.
At front and center of this mess is
castaway Dutch striker Robin van Persie, who has a long working relationship
with Van Gaal. The forward has experienced some of his best years with the
national team under the management style of Louis van Gaal. When things go
wrong, Van Persie tends to lose his focus and, as a result, his performance
suffers.
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| Source: FIFA.com |
On the pitch, Van Gaal, a firm believer in
‘Totaal Voetbal’, takes a very attacking approach, something United were sorely
lacking under David Moyes. The arrival of the new manager in Manchester should
help rejuvenate the aging striker, milking every last ounce of football he has
left – helping him return to his title winning form from the 2012-13 season.
Van Gaal is credited with helping to create
a revolutionary blueprint for attacking football during his early days with
Ajax. His style may be controversial, but far from his animated relationships
with players, Van Gaal values those who give their all for the team.
Putting in the effort to buy into the
system, study it and learn it, will keep you on his good side, leading to a
fruitful relationship, beneficial for both parties. This is one of the
admirable qualities of the Dutchman. He’s honorable and loyal to his players –
if you work hard for him, you will most certainly reap the benefits.
However, this is where the problem currently
lies with Manchester United. Van Gaal does not yet have his players. The
promise of a plentiful transfer budget was undoubtedly a deciding factor in the
Dutchman taking the position. Van Gaal has a clear and refined vision, and
United are seriously in need of upgrades in order for his style to successfully
translate onto the pitch.
In the past, Van Gaal has made no secret of
which players he likes to target in the transfer window. During his first two
seasons in Barcelona, he bought eight Dutch players – Michael Reiziger, Winston
Bogarde, Ruud Hesp, Patrick Kluivert, Boudewijn Zenden, Phillip Cocu, Ronald
and Frank de Boer – five of which played under him at one point or another during
his time in Ajax.
His main target this summer will be Roma
and Netherlands youngster Kevin Strootman. Van Gaal is a known admirer of the
24-year-old as a player and a person. The feeling is mutual. The central
midfielder scored five goals, while adding five assists, in 25 games with the
Italian outfit this season, his first with the club. An unfortunate knee injury
cut his season short, but not before he could make a lasting impression on the
supporters.
He isn’t expected to return to action until
October, which could complicate matters. Will Van Gaal want his first purchase
to be a player who can’t make an impact until midway through the season? The
Dutchman does things his way, so it’s unlikely that should matter. Strootman is
a box to box midfielder who packs quite a punch. His ability to win the ball in
midfield, while still posing as a scoring threat is what makes him such a
valuable commodity.
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| Source: Sport.detik.com |
If he were to miss out on Strootman, Feyenoord’s
young architect, Jordy Clasie, could be considered a consolation prize. The two
play a very similar style, although the latter lacks the same physical
presence. The 22-year-old has always been considered one of the smartest
players on the pitch, and nearly every Feyenoord attack starts at his feet.
This is the creativity United have not had in midfield in quite a while.
At the back, Van Gaal needs to replace both
Ferdinand and Vidic. Enter Joel Veltman. The 22-year-old Ajax defender was an
integral part of the club’s fourth consecutive title capture. After injuries
de-railed his first couple of seasons in Amsterdam, the centre back caused
quite a stir this year with his innate play in defence, drawing plenty of
comparisons to former Ajax defenders Jaap Stam and Jan Vertonghen.
The question still remains, however,
whether or not Veltman is prepared to take the next step. Thomas Vermaelen, Jan
Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, all past Ajax graduates at the position, spent
at least four full seasons with the senior team before moving on. Veltman,
although he appears ready to take on new challenges, finished just his first
full season at the Amsterdam ArenA as a result of injuries early in his career.
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| Source: Ajax.nl |
Van Gaal certainly doesn’t seem to mind. He awarded Veltman’s strong play with his first ever cap for the national
team, and named him in Holland’s 30-man provisional squad for the upcoming
World Cup. If Veltman opts to stay in Ajax and continue to develop, there are
plenty of other options. Stefan de Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi, both Feyenoord
products, have become national team regulars under Van Gaal, and appear ready
for a move to one of Europe’s top leagues.
One other name to keep an eye on is Arjen
Robben. The storied Bayern winger looks set to move on from the club this
summer, and with the Red Devils severely lacking on the wing, the speculation
is justified. Van Gaal brought Robben to the Allianz Arena when he arrived in
2009, and made him a mainstay with the Netherlands U-20 and senior team. United
fans can be 100 percent certain Van Gaal will not tolerate having Antonio
Valencia as the club’s top winger.
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| Source: Spox.com |
Of course Van Gaal’s transfer targets will
not be limited to the Eredivisie. Luke Shaw, Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos and
Edinson Cavani have all been linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer.
The Dutchman will not shy away from a purchase if he believes it will help
strengthen the club.
Van Gaal isn’t coming to make friends, but
win trophies. His aggressive management style is exactly what Manchester United
need to get back to their winning ways. He will have a large transfer budget to
resurrect a decaying back line, instil creativity in midfield and play an
attractive style of football the club was truly lacking under David Moyes.
By: Alex Moretto
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