'This is what Man Utd signed up for' - Was Van Gaal always this boring?
The Dutchman has claimed that his conservative style was well known before he took the job at Manchester United
After a run of five games without a win, including a Champions League exit and defeat at Bournemouth last Saturday, and with the football being functional rather than fancy, the Dutchman's position at the club has been questioned. And talk of a change of guard has only intensified since Jose Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea on Thursday.
Van Gaal recently suggested that United fans knew what their club were getting themselves into when giving him the job, telling a press conference: “When they don't like the style of play for Manchester United, everybody knows in advance that all the teams of Louis van Gaal play like that. In Barcelona, or Bayern Munich or AZ we have played like that.”
So what sort of impression did the 64-year-old leave at his former clubs? Did his style of play frustrate or delight the fans? Was he considered a success? And was he missed after he left?
With the help of Goal experts from around the globe, we find out what the true reflection of Van Gaal's legacy is at each former post.
By Floris Koekenbier | Goal Netherlands
Style of play: In Amsterdam, Van Gaal played with a fluid 4-3-3 formation. The team had noted wingers in Marc Overmars on the left and Finidi George on the right, and they revelled in the width they provided with players like Kanu, Patrick Kluivert and Jari Litmanen being able to benefit in the channels.
In Danny Blind, Van Gaal had a defender who could play superbly with a lot of space behind him, allowing the team to put pressure on opponents high up the field. It was an attractive and successful style of play.
Style of play: In Amsterdam, Van Gaal played with a fluid 4-3-3 formation. The team had noted wingers in Marc Overmars on the left and Finidi George on the right, and they revelled in the width they provided with players like Kanu, Patrick Kluivert and Jari Litmanen being able to benefit in the channels.
In Danny Blind, Van Gaal had a defender who could play superbly with a lot of space behind him, allowing the team to put pressure on opponents high up the field. It was an attractive and successful style of play.
Trophy success: Van Gaal was hugely successful
with Ajax, winning the Uefa Cup in 1993, Champions League in 1995,
leading them to the Dutch title in 1994, 1995 and 1996, the Dutch cup in
1993, and the Dutch Supercup in 1994, 1995, 1996.
Van Gaal's exit: Before the end of the season
1996-97, Van Gaal announced that he would leave Ajax that summer. After a
number of players left on Bosman transfers, his final season in charge
wasn't particularly succesful compared with previous years. Barcelona
swooped for him and Morten Olsen would become his successor.
By Ignasi Oliva | Barcelona Correspondent
Style of play: Van Gaal came into Barcelona at a
time when the club wanted a return to the days of Johan Cruyff. Whereas
Bobby Robson had failed to convince the supporters despite winning three
trophies in 1997-98, Cruyff's style had been a big hit and the board
wanted Van Gaal to nurture the Dutch influence.
He came in and immediately reverted back to Cruyff's 4-3-3 formation since Robson's 4-2-3-1 wasn't liked by influential supporters. Initially he used Abelardo in defence but he later asked for the De Boer brothers. Frank played in defence and Ronald in the midfield, with Phillip Cocu and Pep Guardiola. Luis Figo was the right winger and Rivaldo played on left. Patrick Kluivert completed the three-man attack for a Barcelona side which boasted Luis Enrique, one of the best players in the world at the time.
Later, the team came across well on the pitch but didn't connect with the Camp Nou faithful because of the excess of mediocre Dutch players like Winston Bogarde and Boudewijn Zenden, whose presence stifled the progress of talents like Oscar or Roger.
He came in and immediately reverted back to Cruyff's 4-3-3 formation since Robson's 4-2-3-1 wasn't liked by influential supporters. Initially he used Abelardo in defence but he later asked for the De Boer brothers. Frank played in defence and Ronald in the midfield, with Phillip Cocu and Pep Guardiola. Luis Figo was the right winger and Rivaldo played on left. Patrick Kluivert completed the three-man attack for a Barcelona side which boasted Luis Enrique, one of the best players in the world at the time.
Later, the team came across well on the pitch but didn't connect with the Camp Nou faithful because of the excess of mediocre Dutch players like Winston Bogarde and Boudewijn Zenden, whose presence stifled the progress of talents like Oscar or Roger.
Trophy success: Van Gaal's team won two Liga
titles and one Copa del Rey in his first spell, but missed out
completely during his second reign. One major success was his 1999 Liga
crown on the 100th anniversary of the club's formation, which was an
unforgettable achievement for the Dutch coach. In addition, Xavi, Carles
Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Victor Valdes made their debuts with the
first team thanks to Van Gaal. He was also responsible for blocking the
sale of Puyol to Alaves.
Van Gaal'a exit: After his first dismissal, he
refused to accept a huge pay-off from president Nunez, putting his
decision down to a sense of loyalty. It was a move which was hugely
appreciated by FCB supporters. After returning to the club, he was
sacked and replaced by Radomir Antic, who used Xavi in midfield rather
than in front of the defence, and Barca started changing from the Dutch
base to grow into the type of club which is so well known today.
By Floris Koekenbier | Goal Netherlands
Style of play: Van Gaal hoped to revive his Ajax successes with the Dutch national team, starting out with a 4-3-3 formation. Unfortunately, the road to the 2002 WC was rocky. He played with a number 10 much like he did at Ajax, but his methods didn't work on the star players anymore. The main problem was that he was too much of a club trainer while he was in charge of the national team, working the players too hard at times.
During his second spell he again attempted to use the 4-3-3 during qualification for the 2014 World Cup but switched to a 5-3-2 during the finals tournament. During the qualifiers, Van Gaal played with wingers like Ruben Schaken, Memphis Depay and Quincy Promes, but after the friendly loss against France in March 2014 he decided that the team wasn't strong enough to compete in a 4-3-3 so he switched to 5-3-2 and relied on Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben in attack. With a solid five-man defence protected by Nigel de Jong, the attackers were free to go about their business up front.
Style of play: Van Gaal hoped to revive his Ajax successes with the Dutch national team, starting out with a 4-3-3 formation. Unfortunately, the road to the 2002 WC was rocky. He played with a number 10 much like he did at Ajax, but his methods didn't work on the star players anymore. The main problem was that he was too much of a club trainer while he was in charge of the national team, working the players too hard at times.
During his second spell he again attempted to use the 4-3-3 during qualification for the 2014 World Cup but switched to a 5-3-2 during the finals tournament. During the qualifiers, Van Gaal played with wingers like Ruben Schaken, Memphis Depay and Quincy Promes, but after the friendly loss against France in March 2014 he decided that the team wasn't strong enough to compete in a 4-3-3 so he switched to 5-3-2 and relied on Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben in attack. With a solid five-man defence protected by Nigel de Jong, the attackers were free to go about their business up front.
Trophy success: His first spell in charge was Van
Gaal's first major disappointment of his coaching career, finishing
third in qualifying behind Portugal and the Republic of Ireland, but he
bounced back to lead the Oranje to third place at the 2014 World Cup.
Van Gaal's exits: In an emotional speech after the
Dutch's failure to qualify, Van Gaal announced that he would resign. He
couldn't inspire the same players as he had at Ajax in the 1990s and
stated that they were now big stars who wouldn't listen to him anymore.
His second exit came as no surprise since it was clear for a long time that Van Gaal would only stay until after the World Cup, because his dream was to coach a national team through a big tournament. His assignment at Manchester United had already been announced prior to Brazil and he left on amicable terms.
His second exit came as no surprise since it was clear for a long time that Van Gaal would only stay until after the World Cup, because his dream was to coach a national team through a big tournament. His assignment at Manchester United had already been announced prior to Brazil and he left on amicable terms.
By Floris Koekenbier | Goal Netherlands
Style of play: A new Van Gaal was on display when
he returned to the Eredivisie with a 4-4-2 system at AZ. After his
departures from the Netherlands, Barca and Ajax it came as a surprise
when AZ hired him. With the Alkmaar team he first played 4-3-3, but in
2008-09 when leading them to the league championship he played with a
much more defensive style. With Mounir El Hamdaoui and Mousa Dembele as
attackers he had more then enough quality to rely on, with Belgium
international Maarten Martens able to feed them with regularity.
Trophy success: Van Gaal led AZ to third place in 2006-07, while they also reached the Dutch cup final. They then won the 2008-09 Eredivisie title, marking only their second ever league success and their first in 28 years.
Van Gaal's exit: It became clear that Van Gaal would make a big move when he took AZ to the Eredivisie title. He almost resigned a year earlier when AZ were struggling in the league, with Stijn Schaars revealing later that Van Gaal had already handed in his resignation before the players convinced him to stay. The title which followed justified their cajoling.
By Andreas Konigl | Goal Germany
Style of play: Van Gaal had Bayern playing mainly in a 4-4-2-system with two defensive midfielders and put Schweinsteiger in a central role, compared to the role of a right/left midfielder he had fulfilled for some years before. He also gave the unknown Thomas Muller and Holger Badstuber a chance and they soon became regulars. He invented a more modern style at Bayern, a more attacking style which made it attractive for the fans.
Trophy success: Despite some difficulties at the beginning of the 2009-10 season which included the sale of Lucio, he did really well and nearly won the triple in his first season. After a Bundesliga and DFB Cup win, they lost the Champions League final to Inter in Madrid. Having come close to a group stage exit, few fans could have believed they would enjoy such success.
Van Gaal's exit: In my opinion he got a bit too big for his boots in the 2010-11 season, deciding not to sign any new players despite Bayern having some defensive problems in the previous campaign. "We have Maximilian Haas," he said when asked whether Bayern needed a defender or not, even though Haas was an amateur who had never played a big role before and never would afterwards. He was sacked in April 2011, when it was clear that Bayern would not win the title.
Since then he has received bad reviews from Franck Ribery, who had always had problems with Van Gaal, and even from Uli Hoeness. The former president said that the Dutchman was too stubborn, claiming: "Van Gaal thinks he is God's father."
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