Van Gaal: We are better than last term
LOUIS VAN GAAL has a renewed spring in his step as he insists Manchester United are doing better this season than last.
Having seemingly been on the brink of losing his job for the past three months, United’s Dutch manager can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Four wins in three different competitions in the last fortnight have changed the mood around Old Trafford.
The goals of local teenager Marcus Rashford have reinvigorated the fans and consecutive Premier League wins mean United are now on the tails of neighbours Manchester City in the fight for fourth place.
It has set them up for a huge fortnight which will define the season.
It begins with a trip to West Brom in the league this afternoon, and is followed by the Europa League double-header with Liverpool, an FA Cup quarter-final at home to in-formWest Ham and the Manchester derby away.
Yet despite van Gaal’s optimism, the facts show that his side has six points fewer than after the same number of games 12 months ago, they went out of the Champions League at the group stages and have endured six goalless draws at Old Trafford.
But his optimism stems from how the players, and especially the youngsters, have performed in light of a crippling injury list.
“To reach our aim to be in the Champions League would be fantastic,” he states. “It would mean my staff and the players have done really well.
“They have been adapting every week to new colleagues to play with. Nobody sees it like that, but that is what I analyse.
“Injuries are an excuse, but you have to analyse the circumstances. So if we achieve our aim, it will be better than last year.
“We are still in the FA Cup and last season we reached the quarter-finals. We are still in the Europa League. We went further in the Capital One Cup.
“We have played more matches this season, so that is an improvement. And yet we have always been in the first five in the league. Last year that was not the case.
“The only way we can be ‘worse’ is if we finish fifth. Then you are ‘worse’, but it is not like that.
“Nobody is saying it but we are doing much better than last year.”
United’s toll of injuries has forced van Gaal to blood a succession of youngsters like Rashford, Cameron BorthwickJackson and Jesse Lingard, but he explains how they have been able to perform.
“Older players don’t always like to follow and perform,” he insists.
“They have their own opinion and want to play the way they like. That is not always possible, and especially not with me because I am responsible for the performance of Manchester United.
“We show a lot of images and training situations and you have to perform what we think is best for the team.
“That is easier for the youngsters to do than for the older players.”