Louis van Gaal has claimed the main reasonManchester United are top of the Premier League isn’t their summer signings, but rather the players who left during the window.
Van Gaal recruited six new players in pre-season – a relatively-short list headed up by sought-after wingerMemphis Depay and teenage striker Anthony Martial.
But despite the impressive starts enjoyed by both of these players in particular, LVG suggested that the players he allowed to leave the club played just as big a role in the club’s possible return to title contention after two years.
"You need luck, but the balance of the team is better than last season,” Van Gaal explained.
"Because of that we need to win our games. We shall improve every week, yes. I don't see it every week, but see that we are better as a team and a selection.
"I rotate more now because I can. Last year, in my opinion, I didn't have the balance. I have let 20 or 25 players go. So it's a new team."
The Red Devils parted company with Angel Di Maria andRobin van Persie in the summer, while Javier Hernandez,Jonny Evans, Rafael da Silva, Anders Lindegaard, AngeloHenriquez, Saidy Janko and Reece James were also sold.
Tom Cleverley and Ben Amos departed on free transfers as Adnan Januzaj was loaned out and Radamel Falcao's temporary stay was not extended.
And in the summer of 2014, Ryan Giggs retired as a player, while Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Danny Welbeck, Shinji Kagawa, Alexander Buttner and Bebe left Old Trafford, before Darren Fletcher, Wilfried Zaha and Anderson moved on in the winter transfer window.
David de Gea and Louis van Gaal - Reuters
FROM PREMIER LEAGUE TO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
A 3-0 win over Sunderland at the weekend, coupled with their Manchester rivals City suffering a shock 4-1 defeat at Tottenham, mean United top their domestic top flight heading into match day two of the Champions League – but after an opening CL defeat to PSV Eindhoven, all eyes are now on the game against Wolfsburg.
"The Premier League is a very difficult league. To beat your opponent every week is not easy, it is always a struggle and a battle," the Dutchman was quoted as saying by the club website (www.manutd.com).
"Then you have to play again mid-week in the Champions League and that is the difference between all the clubs in Europe.
"It is not predictable to say four teams in the Premier League shall overcome this group stage round, no, it is not like that.
"But I have to say that we have the teams to do it and we have the quality to do it."
Squad rotation is the key to European success, but even ringing the changes will not guarantee that English sides are fresher than their European counterparts, the Dutchman added.
"The difficulty is that all these (Premier League) players are in a rat race and that takes a lot out of the players, which is why you have to rotate and that is what I am doing now because I have to protect my players," the manager said.
"I say we have to play Sunday-Tuesday, Sunday-Wednesday, so between the matches we cannot recover all of the tiredness.
"Then we have to play against a European squad who is willing to give everything against us.
"They don't have a rat race in their competition and that is the difference."
0 comments:
Post a Comment