Louis van Gaal has finally admitted he has failed to live up to the expectations at Manchester United but also insisted he is still the right man for the managerial job at Old Trafford.
The Dutch manager accepted he was appointed to win key clashes such as those with Wolfsburg, PSV Eindhoven and had failed to do the job. However, he reiterated the responsibility for Champions League debacle also lay with the players. van Gaal has claimed that the expectations of United fans currently are out of kilter with reality as it is no longer fair to demand trophies.
United was ousted from the Champions League and gone down to the Europa League after losing 3-2 in Germany. In the previous Champions League encounter they drew 0-0 with PSV at Old Trafford. This also was a prime factor in their exit as PSV qualified in second place from Group B.
When asked if these matches were especially the kind he was appointed to make an impact, the Dutch manager said: “I agree. I think also we lost [qualifying for] the next stage in the home match against PSV. When I analyse that game, in the first half we missed so many chances. That was our problem. In the second I think they deserved to draw. If we finished the chances in the first half the game was finished. But when you say that I am hired to make the difference, you are right. I don’t think it is [completely] like that – I can make the difference, in tactics and everything. But I cannot score goals.”
Van Gaal despite being sorry for the Champions League exit, insisted expectation is becoming too high and suggested the belief that Manchester United should win the competition was an out of date idea.
“They say a club like Manchester United has to win, that’s the past. You have to analyse the club now. Now we have much more clubs who have money … also the structure and are able to win something.
“Next year, all the clubs in the Premier League have a bigger budget than most in Europe. That makes a big difference. Every club can also buy a player. You think Manchester United has a lot of money – that is true. But other clubs are asking for much more from us than from Bournemouth.
“The difference is not so big anymore. The bottom clubs can beat the top teams. There is no other league where that happens as often as it does in the Premier League. It is very difficult for a Premier League club to match with the other leagues in the Champions League. It was not so easy for all the clubs to qualify themselves.”
The arrogant Dutch boss also insisted he is still the right man to manage United. “I don’t have any doubts,” he said. “You can lose and you can win in sport, and you have to accept that, as a player and as a manager.”
However, van Gaal didn’t want to comment on questions whether he is still among the elite band of managers. “You have to judge,” he went on to say. “I have read already in the media that I am 64 and I am too old. I read the same things 20 years ago. I cannot change what is in your mind. I can only say the facts.
“We have to beat Bournemouth in Premier League. That is very difficult. Bournemouth is playing very positive, pressing a lot, working very hard as a team. To beat them shall be very difficult. But we can beat them, just as we could have beaten Wolfsburg. You have seen that. But I didn’t read it. I didn’t see that you say anything positive for [Guillermo] Varela or [Cameron] Borthwick-Jackson. Because you can see that as a positive. Memphis [Depay] is 21, [Jesse] Lingard is 22, [Anthony] Martial 20 and still we could hurt the No2 of Germany.”