Manchester United: Five Things You Can Expect From Louis Van Gaal This Season

Football’s worst kept secret is finally out. Louis Van Gaal will become Manchester United’s manager at the end of this summer’s World Cup in Brazil. The 63-year-old Dutchman will have recently retired Ryan Giggs as his assistant and is set to bring more coaching staff along with him. So, here are five things you can expect from Louis Van Gaal’s first season in charge of Manchester United.

No non-sense approach

The Dutchman once described himself as “confident, arrogant, dominant, honest, hard-working and innovative.” That tells you all that you need to know about this highly-successful manager who believes that you either play his way or take the highway. He demands nothing but perfection from his players and will not let them slouch for even a second, something United were guilty of, far too much, last season.

His strict disciplinarian methods might mean that there might be a few fall outs with players, but you can be sure that the players that do make it into his good books, will give their heart and soul for the club and its manager. His title-winning pedigree and his massive ego will mean that the ruthlessness will be back in United’s play.

Promotion of youth

One of the many reasons why Manchester United went for the 63-year-old Dutchman is his philosophy of bringing young players through. Even with all the trophies he has accumulated and awards he has won, Van Gaal is perhaps best remembered for giving debuts to future superstars. His time at Ajax saw him give an opportunity to future legends like Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert, while at Barcelona, Carles Puyol, Xavi and Andres Iniesta made their debuts under him.

Even his ill-fated recent stint with Bayern Munich saw him give players like Toni Kroos, David Alaba and Thomas Muller their debut, with the former and the latter rumored to join van Gaal at Old Trafford. Irrespective of the stars he buys, the Dutchman will always give youngsters a chance. So, the likes of Adnan Januzaj, James Wilson, Will Keane are sure to get opportunities and flourish under the Dutchman’s tutelage.

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Will restore the United DNA

Under David Moyes, United went back to the Stone Age and lacked any real identity to their play. But with Van Gaal, a man known for his progressive, possession football, the Red Devils will go back to the fast, free-flowing, attacking football that characterized United for so long.

One of Van Gaals’s biggest strength is his unrelenting pursuit of perfection. Something that United fans know all too well having been managed by Sir Alex for over two decades. The Dutchman will bring along with him a similar ruthlessness and demands respect on the football pitch. He once said “Running is for animals. You need a brain and a ball for football.” So you can expect some intelligent passing and movement from the Red Devils, whose work rate and general play will also be back to where it once was.

Tactical flexibility

The Dutchman firmly believes that training must be “attacking, technical and tactical” and that you “have to play as a team and not as individuals.” Although Van Gaal’s preferred formation with his four previous clubs was 4-3-3, he is more than willing to adapt to the situation. He is highly flexible and firmly believes in making the most of the players at his disposal and in playing the style that can help achieve that.

So you can finally expect United to let go of their outdated 4-4-2/ 4-2-3-1 formation and employing a much flexible and attacking shape. But, one thing is for sure, irrespective of the shape, his philosophy is always to take the game to his opponents and dominate the ball. Something which will be music to the ears of United fans all over the world.

Fascinating interviews

After the drama and the excitement of the Ferguson era, David Moyes’ tenure as United boss dampened the excitement quite a bit. It was not during the game, but after the game as well, the interviews weren’t nearly as exciting as it was under Ferguson. Moyes’ natural air of caution surrounded every word he uttered and lacked the charisma needed, to become a United manager.

If charisma is what United were looking for, then they certainly got the right man for the job. For all of his flaws, if there is one thing that Van Gaal doesn’t lack, that is charisma. His sometimes eccentric personality means that he comes up with some absolute gems in the press conference. His arrogance and his honesty were in full flow, when he was giving his first press conference as Barcelona manager, when he claimed “I have achieved more with Ajax in six years than Barcelona has in one hundred years.” With him in charge, press conferences will be anything but dull.