LOUIS VAN GAAL lost the respect of the Manchester
United dressing room because of his bizarre management methods.
Despite
lifting the FA Cup on Saturday, the Dutch coach has failed to deal with
squad unrest at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal failed to get a grip on the egos at Carrington and that is just one
of the reasons why he will be fired.
Although Van Gaal delivered some silverware, the players are sick and tired of
the club’s turgid playing style.
Many of them want a return to 4-4-2 after another depressing season playing in
Van Gaal’s rigid system.
Amazingly, the United boss told his players not to shoot first time when the
ball comes to them on the edge of the area.
Instead, Van Gaal pulled them up in endless video analysis sessions and told
them to take a minimum of one touch in those situations.
Senior United players were also furious with injured German midfielder Bastian
Schweinsteiger being allowed to go AWOL during rehab for a knee injury.
The World Cup winner, 31, has barely been seen at Carrington since he suffered
ligament damage in the 2-1 defeat against England in March.
But he has been regularly pictured with his glamorous Wag, tennis player Ana
Ivanovic, in various European destinations.
It is club policy for non-playing squad members to attend matches and Schweiny
has been flying in and out from Germany on matchdays.
And on Saturday the United midfielder, who arrived from Bayern Munich last
summer, was at Wembley for the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace.
Stroppy United star Memphis Depay is also being alienated from the dressing
room because of his behaviour.
Last Thursday, when he realised he would not be in the final squad, he threw
his boots against the wall of the dressing room.
Although he later travelled to London on a later train with other non-playing
members, his
days at United are numbered.
He also ignored the dressing room when he was advised not to turn up to an
Under-21 game in his Rolls-Royce.
Depay had been dropped from the first team and told to play in the reserves
following a mistake that led to a goal against Stoke.
And despite being told how damaging it would be if he turned up in a £250,000
Roller, Depay ignored the advice.
United’s players have also been defying Van Gaal after he devised an elaborate
system to email his players with tactical videos.
LVG used to gather his players for endless meetings about tactics and
formations.
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The criticism ended up being so personal and so damaging to the players, a
delegation eventually asked LVG to change his ways.
He agreed and asked video analysts to prepare clips to send to the players by
email.
The first time Van Gaal sent them to the players he was met with blank looks
when he realised none of his players had bothered to open the files.
He then put a tagging system on the emails to notify him when players had
downloaded the video clips.
Most of them simply downloaded the videos and — judging by their performances
in the Premier League this term — never actually bothered to watch them.
In lighter moments, there was also widespread amusement when Matteo Darmian
admitted he did not know how to boil eggs.
As the Italian full-back left training one day, he asked the club’s chef to
hard boil two eggs for him because he thought he might be hungry when he got
home.
Out on the training pitches there is tension between David De Gea and Van
Gaal’s keeper coach Frans Hoek.
The pair barely speak because Hoek takes much of the credit around the club
for De Gea’s status as one of the world’s best keepers.
And De Gea, one of the most dedicated players in the game, was determined to
quit Old Trafford this summer if Van Gaal had stayed.
And while there is a release clause in the lucrative contract De Gea agreed
last summer when Real Madrid wanted to sign him, executive vice-chairman Ed
Woodward believes he will stay when Jose Mourinho takes the job.
But despite Mourinho’s glittering CV, the dressing room want assistant manager
Ryan Giggs to get the job.
Old Trafford legend Giggs believed he had assurances from Woodward that he
would succeed Van Gaal at the end of the Dutchman’s three-year term.