Daley Blind backs methods of Louis van Gaal at United

Daley Blind has defended Manchester United’s possession-based football and backed Louis van Gaal to keep improving the team’s results.


Speaking before Friday’s FA Cup tie at Cambridge United, the 24-year-old Holland international said Van Gaal had been a factor in his decision to come to England. “He expects a lot from his players, he is very honest and direct about what he wants,” Blind said. “That is a good thing, though – he makes players better and he makes teams better. I like that in a coach. It was the same when I was with him with Holland. He is honest and clear. He wants the team to get better and as the team improves individuals start to stand out as well.”

The former Ajax midfielder is quite honest and open as well. Dutch players are usually forthright in their opinions and Blind was not offended by Gary Neville’s recent suggestion that both he and the team pass the ball sideways too often, valuing ball retention more than the direct attacking style Old Trafford audiences like to see.

“The people on television can say what they want – I can take a bit of criticism,” Blind said. “I think I have played some good games. Sometimes you can play the ball forward but sometimes it is good to keep possession and make your team-mates play better. I can make other players more important than myself. If there is space forward then I will play that ball but if not you can switch from side to side and search for the players who can make an individual action.

“I am not one of those players. I like the possession game and keeping hold of the ball. It is all about waiting for the right moment. If the space is not there you have to keep the ball and wait for an opening.”

Neville also questioned the suitability of Van Gaal’s three-at-the-back system for a team with United’s attacking tradition, arguing that the buildup is frequently too slow. Blind disagrees. “This is what the manager wants and I agree with it,” he said. “I don’t think the whole philosophy of the club has changed. If you have played another system for a long time then you have to get used to a new one, but that is not a problem.

“There are games when we are doing it very well and games when we can do it better, but I feel we are improving. It doesn’t happen overnight but the players are comfortable in the system.

“At the World Cup we played with three or five defenders and that was different to what I was used to at Ajax. We didn’t always play great football but we were winning games and we started playing better. We always believed in what we were doing.

“Last season in Holland there were discussions on the television about our new formation, but that is how TV works. There is always someone who wants to say something about the trainers or the teams, otherwise there would be no viewing interest. But we were confident as a team, and when we beat Spain the whole country was behind us. That felt great, I never thought it would happen, but Spain was an amazing game.”


By Paul Wilson, Guardian