Van Gaal in for a surprise at intensity of league – Rodgers
LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers has warned his Manchester United counterpart Louis van Gaal the competitiveness of the Premier League will be like nothing he has experienced before.
Van Gaal has won titles in Holland, Spain and Germany and has made an impressive start to his United career, leading them to victory over Liverpool in the final of the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament.
For all the 62-year-old’s achievements, which include Champions League success with Ajax in 1995, Rodgers thinks he will be in for a shock when the Premier League kicks off on August 16.
“I think what he’ll find is the competition in this league will be different to any other he’s worked in,” Rodgers said yesterday.
“In a lot of the other leagues, there are one or two teams and those are the teams that are expected to win. This is a league where the top team plays the bottom team and on any given day you can lose.
“You don’t get that a lot in the other leagues. I think the competition will probably take him by [surprise], and that’s from foreign managers I have spoken to over the years.”
Rodgers also spoke of his admiration for the Dutchman, who steered the Netherlands to the semifinals of the World Cup in Brazil.
“I’m obviously an admirer of his work and his career,” the Northern Irishman said.
“He’s a very experienced manager and a very good manager who has worked at some big clubs.
“When you come through as a coach, you look at the guys who have a vision and a philosophy, and he was obviously one of those guys.”
ý Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard began his loan spell at Premier League champions Manchester City yesterday, two weeks after joining Major League Soccer club New York City.
Lampard, 36, left Chelsea in June after 13 years at the club but will be back in the Premier League for six months before joining up with City’s affiliate club New York for their inaugural season.
“Joining up with Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me to continue to train and play and make sure I am in top condition for New York City,” Lampard, who trained with City for the first time yesterday, said.
“It has been an amazing few days for me since the unveiling in Brooklyn and everyone connected with both clubs has been fantastic to me.
“This is a new chapter of my career and I’m really excited about the experience.
“I met [City manager] Manuel Pellegrini and some of the players in New York and I’m looking forward to getting into training and making a contribution for Manchester City ahead of my move over to New York.”
Lampard, who scored a record 211 goals in all competitions for Chelsea, will be available for City’s opening game of the season against Newcastle United and could feature against FA Cup winners Arsenal in next week’s season-opening Community Shield. – Reuters