The Dutch manager was pressured by his own fans to change to a 4-4-2 formation during the 2-0 win against QPR, but says he can't listen to supporters' views
Whether you were one of the 1,800 agitated Manchester United fans at Loftus Road on Saturday or Radamel Falcao expressing your “need” for more games, the response from the manager is pretty much identical. Louis van Gaal is adamant that he will continue to do things his way, even if his way can hardly be said to be working too well just now.
On Saturday against Queens Park Rangers, a defiant and very loud first‑half demand from the supporters for “4-4-2” was followed by a change in the team’s formation and then the decisive first goal. Coincidence? A manager bowing to the crowd perhaps? The look of outright bemusement at the suggestion said it all.
“I cannot observe the fans because how many fans do Manchester United have?” Van Gaal asked. When told that the global number was estimated at 600 million, he clearly felt his point had been made.
“You cannot take into account 600 million opinions,” he said. “To look at the players, to communicate with the players, to observe and to analyse: that’s my job.”
Van Gaal was similarly blunt on the subject of Falcao. Having been left out of the squad against Southampton the previous week, Falcao missed a series of chances in playing the full 90 minutes on Saturday and it was made clear that a weekly wage packet of £265,000 will not in itself guarantee further opportunities.
“Every player gets his time, no matter who you are,” Van Gaal said. When pressed further on Falcao specifically, there was no attempt to hide his irritation. “It’s not relevant,” the Dutchman said. “We have 29 players so then we have to talk about 29 players, not just one player.
“Before this match I have already thought about this shape and how to play. Then I look to my players in a training session and I look to my game plan and then I choose. You can’t always give the credit to the most expensive player and if a young player never gets a chance then I’m not a very good manager. I have to treat all of the players at the same level with the same rules and same demands. It’s difficult to understand because the outside world is thinking when you pay a lot for the player then you have to put him in the squad.”
The added complication is that the club are under pressure to decide Falcao’s long-term future, particularly after what Van Gaal deemed the “unhelpful” intervention last week of the agent Jorge Mendes, who claimed that the Colombian would be playing every match for any other club in Europe. That is blatant nonsense and, given Falcao’s return this season of three goals, it is understandable that United may prefer either to wait or renegotiate the £43 million fee they agreed with Monaco for a potential permanent deal.
Falcao himself is adamant that he just needs games and that he is now fully fit following his cruciate ligament injury.
“It was 90 very important minutes for me,” Falcao said. “I need to play and I am very happy that I did. Obviously, I really hope to score soon, but the opportunities will come, I am sure of that. I am fine. I feel really good. I am playing without any sort of fitness problems.”
Falcao’s team-mates are also adamant that the long-term uncertainty over the striker will have no impact on the team’s performances.
“That is not a subject that we have taken any notice of,” Marcos Rojo said. “He is working hard to succeed here and earn his place on the pitch. His spirit is fine. It is a very physical game in England, so it is easier for defenders to adapt. For me, it has not been too bad, because I like that physical style. For Ángel [Di María] and Falcao, it is a bit harder. There is always a defender on their shoulders and it is a physical battle for them.”
That was certainly evident against QPR on Saturday, with the breakthrough coming via substitute Marouane Fellaini in the 58th minute when Van Gaal had ditched his experiment with three at the back. A most unconvincing of 2-0 wins was then only settled with a breakaway goal by James Wilson in added time.
By Jeremy Wilson, Telegraph
