Louis van Gaal has insisted that Manchester United’s goal is to claim the Premier League title, despite the 10-point gap to Chelsea and the Old Trafford board setting a target of only a top-four finish.
United’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday halted a run of six consecutive victories and left them 10 points behind José Mourinho’s side. Yet Van Gaal believes the championship can be won in his opening season in charge.
He said: “The best achievement is champion because our goal is still to be champions at the end of the season – that’s also the best result. We are looking in a football world where number one is the most important thing. Our goal is to be first. But it’s not always so easy, you can see that. That’s why the board have said that our goal is within the first four places but still, with my players and all the staff, we are trying to achieve more than they expect from us.”
Van Gaal is clear that being top on Christmas Day means nothing. “In the Netherlands and also in Germany you have the Christmas champions but that doesn’t count – at the end of May or June, then you have to be first,” he said. “In Holland and Germany we have a Christmas champion – PSV and Bayern Munich are the Christmas champions [this year]. It’s better to be the Christmas champions then the possibility you shall be next champion is bigger but not certain.”
United host Newcastle United on Boxing Day and Newcastle’s Alan Pardew, is one of many managers in the Premier League who like to occupy the technical area. Van Gaal, however, prefers to sit down throughout a match.
“I don’t see any influence from me when I am there shouting,” he said. “They are not understanding you – maybe one individual player [is]. [But] when you change one individual position that has also an influence on other positions. So I have trained the whole week that players read the situations.
“Sometimes they can’t read that but then you have half-time or you have a change [a substitution to do so]. Then you can say to the player who is coming on to the pitch how they have to play in their positions. You have to transfer that. With the fans in the Premier League shouting so much, they can’t understand you. That’s why I’m always on the bench.
“You have trained them to read the game by themselves. It is much more important that they are more involved with the game, that they make their own decisions. It is like a child, you educate.”
Asked why Pardew and other managers use the technical area, Van Gaal said: “You have to ask them. I don’t have the idea that you can influence a game by shouting from the sidelines. Sometimes I’m doing that but that’s more emotional than the content is heard by the players.
“Sometimes players can’t read the match, it’s not their quality [strength]. I have players who can read the match very well but there are others who cannot read the match for the team. For themselves they can read the match but for the team it is more difficult.”
Pardew has clashed with Manuel Pellegrini and Arsène Wenger when in the vicinity of the technical area. “I have never had a fight,” Van Gaal said. “I only use my voice, never my hands or something like that.”
Van Gaal would not be drawn on whether some managers hope to influence the referee when in the technical area. “I don’t think I can influence the referee, no. When I was in my first year I did everything. But I learned to be more quiet,” he said, before dismissing whether Sir Alex Ferguson used to try to affect the officials at the end of games by standing and pointing at his watch in what became know as an attempt to gain “Fergie-time”.
The 63-year-old said: “You think the referee is looking at Ferguson? On television you can see that because every television station is recording the manager, I know. But the referee is not looking at the television. Maybe after the match, but then he can’t change anything any more.”
While seated Van Gaal often writes notes. “This is for half-time. I can say the things that I am willing to say that can influence the match. Then the sequence is always the right way because the players remember the moments of the game in sequence. It’s more efficient then.”
Of whether Adnan Januzaj may be allowed to go on loan in January, he said: “I can’t discuss that with you. You are not the CEO when it’s like that. I am not suggesting it’s like that.” Might the 19-year-old benefit from the experience? “He’s a player of United,” said the manager.
