Scholes slates manager’s negative tactics and warns Louis must find new blood
FORMER Manchester United star Paul Scholes laid into his old club after watching them slump to a 2-1 home defeat in Louis van Gaal’s first game in charge in the Premier League.
Scholes was highly critical of the Dutchman’s acclaimed 3-5-2 formation as United lost to Swansea.
The former Old Trafford midfielder attacked the United boss for being too negative, saying: ‘When you look at United over the last 20 years, it’s been 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 and that was where we had all our success — but 3-5-2 may be something Louis van Gaal is a little obsessed with because it worked in the World Cup for him, there’s no doubt about that.
‘But this crowd need a little bit of excitement and 3-5-2 is a very slow way of playing; all about possession rather than having that thrust and ability to score goals.’
Asked how many of yesterday’s starting line-up would get into the United teams of the last 20 years, apart from Rooney, Scholes, now a pundit for BT Sport, added: ‘Possibly Darren Fletcher and I think that’s it. We needed (new) players from the start of the season but you cannot use that as an excuse. There’s no doubt there is a massive improvement needed from these players if van Gaal is not going to sign anyone.’
United’s 100-per-cent record in pre-season had raised expectations around the club and van Gaal warned that his players would have to learn to cope with the pressure.
‘When you win everything in preparation time and lose your first match, that cannot be worse,’ he said. ‘It is not good because we have built up a lot of confidence and then it is smashed down because of this result.
‘I know in what positions we need better players but you have to buy only when the player can fulfil the way of playing that I ask.’
Van Gaal started with the 3-5-1-2 formation he used in pre-season but later changed to 4-4-1-1 and 4-3-3.
‘You saw in the first half we were not playing well and we were behind,’ he said. ‘That is why I changed the system (to 4-4-1-1) and this system they’ve always played. And I changed it again. I do everything to win. I think we can do it with both systems.’