World Cup 2014 Brazil is over! Manchester United fans can now look forward to Louis van Gaal officially taking the reigns at the club. Winning the trophy would have been the perfect segue into his managerial post at Manchester United, but van Gaal has shown enough with Dutch team to have fans dreaming of a return to Europe. It’s very early and van Gaal has not managed a game for the red devils to this point but his credentials speak for themselves (unlike David Moyes who did not have trophies in his resume). These are a few of things we noticed about van Gaal:
- Van Gaal prepares
- He takes tactical risks
- Call him coolness personified
In the Netherlands match up against a determined Costa Rica team, van Gaal swapped his preferred goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen for Tom Krul in the penalty shootout. It was a masterstroke as the Costa Rica penalty takers were clearly flustered by Krul’s antics.
In the round of 16 match against Mexico, the manager replaced his captain Robin van Persie with Klaas Jan Huntelaar while the game was up for grabs. 4 minutes into injury time and moments away from extra time, Huntelaar converts a penalty to send the Dutch into the quarterfinals.
While his predecessor at Manchester United David Moyes always seemed stressed and bemused on the touch line, van Gaal appeared largely unfazed by the pressures of being one of the favorites to win the tournament. This trait will prove invaluable during his tenure with Manchester United.
Louis van Gaal’s success is not a forgone conclusion but the brand of football being played at Old Trafford this year will be a lot more exciting than during the Moyes era. If Manchester United make a few more quality signings this summer, they will be very competitive in the premier league next term.