#07
makes new threads with tweets in the OP
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2010
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Watching tonight's analysis helps to explain why the unfashionable players in our squad are succeeding under Van Gaal.
I can imagine if you were a naturally gifted footballer playing for Van Gaal might be frustrating. If your instinct is to drift around the pitch, without much thought about team shape, and do things off the cuff, Van Gaal's rigidly drilled attacking set up might feel like a straight jacket.
However, if you are just a solid footballer who is willing to listen to instructions and execute them Van Gaal must be like an oracle. Players like Young will have no difficulty going out onto the pitch and just doing what Van Gaal says. Young knows he's not, well, Angel Di Maria. So if Van Gaal tells him to run here when Carrick has the ball, or run there when Fellaini does, Young will just carry out the instructions. He won't be thinking 'but I'm good enough to dribble past 2-3 men on my own, why should I not go looking for the ball?' like players of supreme talent will. That's exemplified by how Van Gaal fell out with Rivaldo or how his first stint as Holland boss blew up.
Watching the analysis of Rooney's work in the Van Gaal system, it became even more clear to me why Olic preferred Van Gaal over Gomez at Bayern. A player like Gomez is never going to be content just occupying centre halves to make space for other players, he'll want to be scoring goals himself. While the likes of Olic will be willing runners all day long without worrying about their goal returns, giving Van Gaal someone he can rely on to pin back the opposition back line and allow his midfield room to work in.
Van Gaal is a system manager, who by coaching is able to make the sum greater than the parts. Guess that's how he could replace Clarence Seedorf with Kiki Musampa and still make it to two Champions League finals running. Van Gaal's better suited to managing good, competent, obedient players who will respond to his methods than he is to coaching brilliant, unpredictable and temperamental players who wanna express themselves.
I can imagine if you were a naturally gifted footballer playing for Van Gaal might be frustrating. If your instinct is to drift around the pitch, without much thought about team shape, and do things off the cuff, Van Gaal's rigidly drilled attacking set up might feel like a straight jacket.
However, if you are just a solid footballer who is willing to listen to instructions and execute them Van Gaal must be like an oracle. Players like Young will have no difficulty going out onto the pitch and just doing what Van Gaal says. Young knows he's not, well, Angel Di Maria. So if Van Gaal tells him to run here when Carrick has the ball, or run there when Fellaini does, Young will just carry out the instructions. He won't be thinking 'but I'm good enough to dribble past 2-3 men on my own, why should I not go looking for the ball?' like players of supreme talent will. That's exemplified by how Van Gaal fell out with Rivaldo or how his first stint as Holland boss blew up.
Watching the analysis of Rooney's work in the Van Gaal system, it became even more clear to me why Olic preferred Van Gaal over Gomez at Bayern. A player like Gomez is never going to be content just occupying centre halves to make space for other players, he'll want to be scoring goals himself. While the likes of Olic will be willing runners all day long without worrying about their goal returns, giving Van Gaal someone he can rely on to pin back the opposition back line and allow his midfield room to work in.
Van Gaal is a system manager, who by coaching is able to make the sum greater than the parts. Guess that's how he could replace Clarence Seedorf with Kiki Musampa and still make it to two Champions League finals running. Van Gaal's better suited to managing good, competent, obedient players who will respond to his methods than he is to coaching brilliant, unpredictable and temperamental players who wanna express themselves.
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