Louis Van Gaal - Press Conference vs Burnley - Feb 10th

Pexbo

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Remember fergie used to wind up actual rivals? Louis got outwitted by the God damn West Ham manager.
I don't know if it's outwitted as such. It's the reaction from here that will decide that. It's shades of Rafa's fachts, nae dow bow tha, but he's kind of got a point about the possession thing. We dominated them and went direct towards the end because they were compact and sitting back. It's a bit different to the Stoke's of this world who play a whole season with long balls and throws from the outset.
 

Summit

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No we had a higher percentage overall. 22.5% to Westham and 24.2% for us. They played more of those to the forwards than us, but we still played half our long balls to the forwards 49.9% so we were a long ball team, you could see it just by watching too. All his stats do is confirm it, what a muppet.
And they played 70 odd percent of theirs forward, compared to our 49 percent. I'm not sure what you are getting at here?
 

Pexbo

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Tell us why you keep playing Rooney in midfield. Tell us why you won't play Herrera. Tell us why you said your favourite formation is 433 and you haven't used it despite us having the players available to do so now. We care more about that than trying to win so petty argument with Sam allardyce (who had a point IMO)

This sort of thing would be funny if we playing well and there wasn't much to talk about.
We do?
 

soap

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Am I just the only one that sees Allardyce was right? We played more long balls in total and our percentage is higher than theirs, or am I just not seeing something right?
Nah I agree with him too. He didn't say we played long ball the whole game,he said they couldn't deal with our long balls to fellaini, who came on after about 65 mins... Which is true.
 

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Sam called us long ball United. He knew what he was doing and it's worked.

The funny thing is that Big Sam has played long ball % football for the last decade. This is the first time he's played some half decent stuff since Okocha was at Bolton and now he thinks he can label other teams as long ball.

It's a beautiful bit of work, only made better by the fact that LVG bit!
 

Cassidy

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And they played 70 odd percent of theirs forward, compared to our 49 percent. I'm not sure what you are getting at here?
The fact that we played long ball football and we have been doing it a lot this season due to our build up play being rubbish maybe? If LVG thinks that shit we served up on Sunday was ok then ok.
 

Cassidy

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Nah I agree with him too. He didn't say we played long ball the whole game,he said they couldn't deal with our long balls to fellaini, who came on after about 65 mins... Which is true.
Exactly, LVG is making himself look stupid.
 

soap

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Di maria and Januzaj are both totally comfortable on the wings, Mata did a good job on the left of a 433 for Chelsea, Valencia tooof course, if you wanna include him
 

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Am I just the only one that sees Allardyce was right? We played more long balls in total and our percentage is higher than theirs, or am I just not seeing something right?
Thought Sam was right too, don't understand Van Gaal responded he just needs to do his talking on the pitch.
 

pjaya

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Oh LvG what have u done? Look like all the years we laugh at Benitez will come back and bite us lol
 

kps88

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And they played 70 odd percent of theirs forward, compared to our 49 percent. I'm not sure what you are getting at here?
Again though, what's the point he's trying to make? That WHU played more long balls? So what? Big Sam never said we played more long balls compared to them. Watch Big Sam's post match interview - the main thing he said was that we had to resort to long balls at the end and he was disappointed that his side couldn't cope with it. "Long ball United" was said in jest and the press ran with it.
 

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Great stuff from LvG. Well done. Love you even more :D
 

Pexbo

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Di maria and Januzaj are both totally comfortable on the wings, Mata did a good job on the left of a 433 for Chelsea, Valencia tooof course, if you wanna include him
Mata on the wing again? Di Maria shoved out wide? Januzaj has been poor this season. Then what about the midfield? I just don't see it. More speculation on there being some sort of magical formation that changes everything.
 

Summit

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Again though, what's the point he's trying to make? That WHU played more long balls? So what? Big Sam never said we played more long balls compared to them. Watch Big Sam's post match interview - the main thing he said was that we had to resort to long balls at the end and he was disappointed that his side couldn't cope with it. "Long ball United" was said in jest and the press ran with it.
No I agree, I think he shouldn't of bothered. If he was asked, he should have replied that tactics needed changing due to WH parking the bus and it was up to WH to deal with what we threw at them.
 

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He should have just laughed it off or ignored it, responding to it in the way he did just shows he's bothered by it.
 

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He should have responded by playing burnley off the park tomorrow and then making a jokey remark about it post match
 

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From the manutd.com live blog:

LVG "You have to look at the data and then you will see that we did play long balls, but long balls wide, rather than to the striker. A ball to the forward striker is mainly called long ball play. We are playing ball possession play."
 

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Not sure the stats LvG presented rebut big Sam. From the tweet, United had more forward long balls than WHU. I don't understand how the % is informative. Assume two CBs 25 yards apart pass to each other before lumping it forwards-then you have 3 long balls, one of which is forward. 3 passes, all long-33.33% forward.

How is that more attractive play than a CB just hoofing it forward without initially passing it to his CB partner? Same number of forward long balls as the first example, just a higher % of the total.
 

soapythecat

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Whilst it seems a bit comical, I think this sounds like early signs of LvG cracking under the pressure. Granted, I haven't seen the presser yet, so can't take it from it's full context, but if he has acted like this in retaliation to Big Sam then it doesn't bode well at all.
We used to love Fergie turning the screw on other managers like this all the time, so to see the current United manager doing it is a tad worrying. I hope i'm reading to much into it though.
 

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I can understand why Van Gaal has done this. It was plastered all over the papers and they made a meal of it on TV all because of Allardyce's comments, mud sticks and it wasn't a fair representation of the game. We dominated posession, number of passes, number of shots etc. but we just kept labeled a long ball side, it's nonsense. Fair play for the manager setting them right.
 

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Looking at the number posts piling up, thought there were new injuries. Thankfully that's not the case. Proof of the pudding is in the eating, results and reaction on the field will determine whether he lost his marbles or he is right in responding back the way he has.
 

soap

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Mata on the wing again? Di Maria shoved out wide? Januzaj has been poor this season. Then what about the midfield? I just don't see it. More speculation on there being some sort of magical formation that changes everything.
Nah well I'm not saying he HAS to play 433 at the first sliver of an opportunity but it would be nice to hear an explanation. As for mata out wide, winger in a 433 is totally different than in a 442 like Moyes played as I'm sure you know. I don't buy into the idea that Di Maria out wide is akin to playing Rooney CM or Smalling RB for example. Valencia has been in better form this season too, wouldn't mind him playing RW if it meant giving something different a go

My ideal 433 would be di Maria in his hybrid CM/LW role with mata coming in from the left.
 

.Rossi

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He's had his pants pulled down by big Sam. A two bit journey man with Bolton promotional plaques in his down stairs loo, a walking embodiment of chippy dinners...

Would Fergie pull out a sixth form booklet and pin it to a board ?

Silence is golden. Arrogance is encouraged,
 

kps88

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No I agree, I think he shouldn't of bothered. If he was asked, he should have replied that tactics needed changing due to WH parking the bus and it was up to WH to deal with what we threw at them.
Yep. Actually, after reading his full quotes, it's clear he misunderstood what Sam was saying. The bit in bold was all Allardyce implied.

“When a colleague of mine (Allardyce) is saying this kind of thing then, yeah, you have to see the data and you have to put the data in the right context,” Van Gaal said.

“I think the media is also coming to the match and you have a lot of opinion about me, or the game, or the players and now you say that you have no opinion.

“When you have 60% ball possession do you think that you can do that with long balls?

“Yeah, long balls, in the width, to switch the play. You have to look at the data and then you will see that we did play long balls, but long balls wide, rather than to the striker.

“A ball to the forward striker is mainly called long ball play. Because I expected this question, I have made an interpretation of the data for this game and then I have to say that it is not a good interpretation from Big Sam.

“It is not so difficult also to read that.”

With Fellaini playing a central role in United’s attacks on goal in the final stages, Van Gaal insisted his more direct approach in an attempt to salvage a point was justified.

“I am sorry, but we are playing ball possession play and after 70 minutes we did not succeed, in spite of many chances in the second half, then I changed my playing style,” Van Gaal said.

“Then, of course, with the quality of Fellaini we played more forward balls and we scored from that, so I think it was a very good decision of the manager.


“But, when you see overall the long ball, and what is the percentage of that, then West Ham have played 71% of the long balls to the forwards and we 49 per cent.

“So, I give you this (data) you can see that the blue ones (arrows) are the good ones because long balls are also very difficult, which is why I began with the explanation of ball possession.

“When you have 60% ball possession you cannot play long balls.

“So again, they did it 71 and we 49, and I give it you, you can copy it and then maybe you can go to Big Sam and he will get a good interpretation.”
 

poisson

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Whilst it seems a bit comical, I think this sounds like early signs of LvG cracking under the pressure. Granted, I haven't seen the presser yet, so can't take it from it's full context, but if he has acted like this in retaliation to Big Sam then it doesn't bode well at all.
We used to love Fergie turning the screw on other managers like this all the time, so to see the current United manager doing it is a tad worrying. I hope i'm reading to much into it though.
The very fact that he felt the need to hand out a four page document detailing stats suggests to me that he's well and truely lost it. Outwitted by big fecking sam - oh the horror
 

Speak

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If Liverpool served up that shite on Sunday and Rodgers came out with this in his presser, everyone here would be breaking their bollix laughing and winding @Barney up about it.

In fact, thats pretty much what did happen back in 2009
To be honest, that's completely true.
 

poisson

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He's had his pants pulled down by big Sam. A two bit journey man with Bolton promotional plaques in his down stairs loo, a walking embodiment of chippy dinners...

Would Fergie pull out a sixth form booklet and pin it to a board ?

Silence is golden. Arrogance is encouraged,
He's effectively pulled a 'Keegan' style rant and gone a step further with documents for evidence. I hope one of those documents tells him that playing Rooney in midfield is a fecking moronic idea!
 

DWelbz19

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Fat Sam has him absolutely rattled. :lol:
 

togg

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As I've said many times on here. LVG has really underestimated the Premier League in so many areas.....including the wonderful mind games between managers. Fergie was the professor of that, Jose is pretty good, Keagan was a grade F...and Benitez was probably grade E...gaining a grade because it was always so funny...

LVG should have studied this league much more feverishly in all it's makeup...
 

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He's had his pants pulled down by big Sam. A two bit journey man with Bolton promotional plaques in his down stairs loo, a walking embodiment of chippy dinners...

Would Fergie pull out a sixth form booklet and pin it to a board ?

Silence is golden. Arrogance is encouraged,
Honestly who cares. All of this stuff is pure fluff and will have no impact to anything United or West Ham do on the pitch, at best it's interesting filler until the match starts.