Louis van Gaal was often derided for being overly pragmatic during his time managing Manchester United, with many observers often labeling his brand of football as “boring.”
The Dutchman applied the very same label to his successor at United, current boss Jose Mourinho, a man who’s become synonymous with the phrase “parking the bus.” Van Gaal maintains that he actually played attacking football at Old Trafford, did quite well with it, and that the team is regressing now under his replacement.
Van Gaal labeled the United of Mourinho as “far more boring.”
In an interview with Fox Sports in Holland, Van Gaal said: “If you ask me how did I do at United, I will say it was my best year ever, given the circumstances I was working under.
“We played football that was quite alright. But it’s not football that is appreciated in England, and yet, right now, looking at United, I have to conclude Mourinho is not being criticized while it’s far more boring football.
“I would rather watch City play than United. You need quality in a squad and it’s clear City have a better squad. What United produce now is defensive football. I always played attacking football.”
“The proof is that the opposition were always parking the bus. They don’t do that now because Jose Mourinho plays so defensive.”
Wow! Shade thrown! It will be very interesting to see what Mourinho says when he’s asked about this in his next press conference.
In October, Van Gaal hit out at Mourinho, and the manner in which the Portugese replaced him. However, he later softened on that sentence and then said that he views Mourinho more sympathetically.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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