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Season 1 = Pragmatic Football // Season 2 = Implement Philosophy With New Signings // Season 3 = Total Football ?


Mame Biram Diouf

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The National coach (me) sees opportunities because he believes in vision and structure. When I say that, I mean MY vision, and my structure. Yes, that is arrogant. I bet you hear that more, that people find me arrogant. It does not bother me.  I am NOT arrogant. But I do believe in my vision. So the people who work in my organization have something to hold on to. That is what I believe in.’
 
Football dominance comes in cycles, and although the inability to keep hold of key players disrupted the progress and dominance Van Gaal was on the verge of achieving in Amsterdam, his Ajax team are widely regarded as one of the greatest teams to have played the game.
 
“Ajax are not just the team of the Nineties, they are approaching football Utopia. Their concept of the game is exquisite yet they have a physical superiority as well. They are Beauty and the Beast.”- Real Madrid’s Jorge Valdano said in awe.
 
“All their players were aware of what their mission on the pitch. Discipline at positions, Possession of the ball as a basic idea, the game of constant support, movement two touches … and did everything in such a simple way sublime. I was speechless when I saw play. From my point of view, made to perfection all you should make a football team on the pitch. There are other ways to do this but I like me and I like it that way with which Van Gaal’s Ajax football gave lessons to more painted “-Pep Guardiola.
 
“I’ve been a follower of Barca’s model for many, many years. I was so enthused by it. [Louis] Van Gaal … I just loved their way of playing. It goes back to my life as a young man.” – Rodgers speaking to the Blizzard
 
Van Gaal assembled a youthful squad with an average age of just 23 which dominated both domestically and in Europe. They won the Eredivise and Champions League in the 1994/95 season after going through the entire campaign without defeat in the league and in Europe.
 
LvG is a coach with a clear coaching philosophy and principles. He describes his philosophy as one footballers are fascinated by because it is an attacking philosophy, a technical philosophy and a tactical philosophy. Explaining his system to Fifa.com, he said: “It’s a footballing philosophy more than a system. A system depends on the players you have. I played 4-3-3 with Ajax, 2-3-2-3 with Barcelona and I can play 4-4-2 with AZ. I’m flexible. The philosophy stays the same though. Preparing your tactical formation is essential. Each player needs to know where he has to be, and that is why there needs to be mutual understanding because you need absolute discipline. This is a sport played by 22 men, and there are 11 opponents out there playing as a team. Each individual needs to know who he has to beat and be there to support his team-mates.”
 
Van Gaal divides the game into four main aspects:
 
1.The offensive organization: The general shape/movement/positioning when the team is attacking or in possession.
 
2.Offensive transition: Player movements and reactions when moving from defense to attack. How the ball is moved etc
 
3.Defensive organization: Team’s general shape and positioning when the opponents have the ball.
 
4.Defensive transitions: Team reactions and movement just after they’ve lost possession. How they press etc
 
He further breaks offensive transitions into four elements: the initial/first phase, second, third and fourth phases. The first phase is “construction phase” or playing out the back. This is when the goalkeeper is in possession of the ball. The second phase is the movement and circulation of the ball to draw opponents out of their positions. The third phase has to do with how the team creates chances and break down defenses, and the fourth phase is the finishing of the move.
 
Van Gaal’s football philosophy is to be proactive. “You decide how the opponent play their football and not that the opponent decides where we have to play” he says “I have always played very offensively as a trainer with my teams because I like that. You have to deliver a product for the public”. Van Gaal though is very flexible, perhaps one of the most flexible coaches in history can switch to a more cautious approach, evident at his time at AZ. 
 
His philosophy focuses on ball retention and circulation(moving the ball with the main aim of retaining possession) to find spaces. Van Gaal devotes a lot of time on the positional play in training. In his system, his players must always be on the move to find space and pass the ball at a quicker speed to retain possession while forming angles to support teammates in possession. He said that’s why he prefers the 433 to the 442 because with the 433 shape he can form about 8 lines and many triangles which is essential for creating midfield overloads for his ball circulation philosophy. “Mathematically, the more triangles you have in your system then it’s more easy, because the players without thinking they are,  are already in the position.”
 
In the construction phase, the goalkeeper is the first playmaker – in the sense that –  he is the one who initiates attacking transitions in phase 1.
 
oo Van Gaal normally prefers his keeper to play short in order to play out the back. He always mentions his formation as, say, ‘1-4-3-3′ or ‘1-4-4-2′ adding his goalkeeper, like an outfield player. He considers him as one. Either the holding midfielder drops in between the centerbacks which allows the fullbacks vertical movement up the field, or one of his defenders moves into the midfield in the construction phase. Which sees his team shape up in a 3-1-3-3 shape.
 
“Always, I want to create one man more… so, always one of the four (defenders) has to enter in the midfield – doesn’t matter which – but once they enter the other three have to stay close. mmConstructing out the back poses two major threats to opponents, who are forced to press high up the pitch which further opens gaps in their structure, or sit deep and allow LvG’s team to control the tempo of the game.
 
Villas Boas says: “Louis Van Gaal’s idea is one of continuous circulation, one side to the other, until the moment that, when you change direction, and space opens up inside and you go through it. So, he provokes the opponent with horizontal circulation of the ball, until the moment that the opponent will start to pressure out of despair. What I believe in is to challenge the rival by driving the ball into him. At this time of ultra-low defensive block teams, you will have to learn how to provoke them with the ball. It’s the ball they want, so you have to defy them using the ball as a carrot.” 
 
What this simply means is, against compact and deep defenses,Van Gaal doesn’t go long or result to hopeful crosses and punts up the field, he sticks to his policy of moving the ball to draw them out to find spaces. “The second phase is to replace the ball, so you can see the disorganization of the opponent, and then you need creativity to give the pass – to see that moment” LVG’s teams play a lot of lateral(toucline-to-touchline) passes, not for the sole aim of retaining possession, but as a means to draw opponents out of their defensive shape to press. As the opponents push out to press the ball, gaps begin to appear within their system which could then be exploited. “When we have the ball the midfielders have to open – always at the sides – it’s very important because, because of that the opponents have to defend wide and then we have more space”yhThe number 6 who is the conductor of the team is imperative in his system. He is supposed to provide angles to his teammates while maintaining tactical discipline.
 
The most important part of the game according to LvG is in the transition phase(moving from attack to defense, or from defense to attack).”I think the transition is the most important aspect, because in transition phase the opponent is not organized, so that is the moment that you have to benefit”. 
 
Transitions are very crucial in the modern game particularly against organized teams. When you win possession, it’s important to move into attack quickly because at the time, opposition have just lost the ball and as a result of lost their defensive structure. He says: “I think that when the opponent is disorganized and we gain the ball, then we have to take benefit of that disorganization… but when you pass wrongly and you lose the ball… then I say… no, no, no…be  patient, because you see, when you lose the ball then you have to gain the ball again and again… and that costs us a lot of energy” LVG says verticality is one of the most important elements in his ball circulation system because (in his words) that is “the transition”.
 
His teams are compact and defend and attack as a collective unit. “Always together. When they are here they have to have contact. So when they go down, the whole team have to go down…but not with space between the lines because the opponent want to take benefit of that”
 
Untitled“To destruct the organisation of the opposition my team must pass the ball around at the highest possible speed with a terrific use of all positions. When we lose the ball I don’t want my team to run backwards, I want them to win it back in the quickest possible time.’
 
At Ajax, Bayern and Barcelona, his teams pressed high to force mistakes off opponents and regain possession, although at AZ Alkmaar, Van Gaal adopted a more cautious where instead of pressing very high they sat deeper in defense and applied pressure as opposition entered their half. 
 
Van Gaal’s teams press in a fluid shape, compacting central areas and forcing opponents wide, where the touchline is used to restrict space for opponents before intensifying the pressure. pressing hollHe focuses on the defensive organization of his team as much as the attack. Even in possession he says: “When you are in attack you have to think about defense. When you attack you take always risk because have a big space behind you, because of that you need defensively thinking when you attack”
 
Van Gaal is an astute tactician with an obsession for every possible detail and is normally seen on the touchline holding a notebook, always scribbling notes.
 
“My mother taught that preparation is half the work. And she only completed primary school.”
 
LvG says he carries the notebook to jot down opposition mistakes in their shape and stuff that go against the pre-planned strategy.“Van Gaal is a tactician par excellence, he knows exactly what he does every game” -Xavi said.
 
He spends majority of his time on the pitch focusing on training and tactical drills. Along with his video analysts, Van Gaal makes thorough analysis of opponents, studying their moves and plotting tactics to outmaneuver them. Ronald De Boer recalled: ‘He is so well prepared that you would be doing drills in training and you would know what the opposition were going to do before they did. You knew exactly what you were up against. He would say sometimes to Marc Overmars, “The guy you are playing against drifts across to be close to the central defender. Stay where you are and you will get in behind him,” — and he’d be right,’
 
He focuses on detail and tries…err, I mean can get the best out of his players. “I’m not the kind of coach who just goes out and buys players for the sake of it. I’m a coach who wants to – and can – improve players.”

 

 

When you read in detail what he actually believes in, wants to implement at his teams and compare it with what he has with us it is easy to see that there is a big gap between the theory and the practical.

 

 How many of our players are 'technically' and 'tactical' good enough and have enough discipline to be trusted to carry out his ideas and instructions?

 

Only definite ones I can think of are:

- Blind

- Carrick

- De Gea

 

Players like this certainly don't though imo

- Valencia

- Rooney

- Hernandez

 

Everyone else is still questionable but because of age a lot of them still have the opportunity to improve enough to perform their future expected duties at a high enough level and not be shipped out and replaced.

 

But I do believe he is just trying to see out this season before shipping out 5/6 players and bringing in guys we will have scouted all season and who will fit the style of football we will begin playing next season.

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It would be for the best if you lot completely miss out on Europe altogether next season especially CL

No

I know you're just saying that because you dislike United/LVG and think we'll get embarrassed by the big teams but we need to be back in the CL because of the terms of the Adidas deal, TV money, extra match day revenue and the players we can potentially sign that are looking to play in the CL.

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I don't dislike Man Utd or Van Gaal

The football is awful

The defence is a shambles

I have just been disappointed in Van Gaal

Very

It reminds me of his 2nd spell@Barca e 1st spell@Dutch NT

As for getting better players

The main worry Van Gaal inability to adapt to the personnel@his disposal.

Needs to drop that three@back and make much better signings

Take the L on

Ander

Blind

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Season 2

Victor valdes

Walker

Hummels/jones/smalling

Rojo

Shaw

Blind

Rooney/shcweinsteiger

Di maria

Valencia

Rvp/rooney

Depay

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  • 6 months later...
  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I don't dislike Man Utd or Van Gaal

The football is awful

The defence is a shambles

I have just been disappointed in Van Gaal

Very

It reminds me of his 2nd spell@Barca e 1st spell@Dutch NT

As for getting better players

The main worry Van Gaal inability to adapt to the personnel@his disposal.

Needs to drop that three@back and make much better signings

Take the L on

Ander

Blind

Needs to go asap

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Was just watching Rio's one2eleven and he talked about his first training session.

 

He said he got the ball from the keeper then passed it to Gary Neville then Keane shouted at him saying:

 

"YOU PASSED IT SIDEWAYS, THAT'S THE EASY PASS, THAT'S THE EASY PASS...YOU'RE NOT AT LEEDS OR WEST HAM NOW"

 

If that happened today LVG would have gave Rio a pat on the back and Keane would've been banished for a few games for not blindly following the philosophy.

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If you bought better

You would be playing Gent not Midtylland in Feburary

 

All else is void from when you said Blind is dust.

 

Memphis i can see your angle , ridiculous but i can see why you would think that.

 

Blind's understanding of the game is insane

 

Louis' time may be over but he will leave behind some excellent players & Blind is def one of them.

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If you bought better

You would be playing Gent not Midtylland in Feburary

All else is void from when you said Blind is dust.

Memphis i can see your angle , ridiculous but i can see why you would think that.

Blind's understanding of the game is insane

Louis' time may be over but he will leave behind some excellent players & Blind is def one of them.

He isn't a CB or DM

Should play@LB

Excellent players?

Your first team squad is full of average players

Only excellent players you have is

De Gea

Schweni

Carrick

Martial(never been sure about him but the game against Valencia convinced me)

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