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| Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has warned Swansea that his side have vastly improved |
LOUIS VAN GAAL has warned Swansea to expect a vastly improved Manchester United team from the faltering outfit they completed the double over last season.
Van Gaal’s first Premier League game in charge of United ended in a shock home defeat to the Welsh club on the opening day of the season and they were also beaten 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium later in the season.
Garry Monk’s team were the only side to complete the double over United last season and it clearly still rankles with the Dutchman as he prepared for United’s trip to South Wales on Sunday – which will be his 50th game in charge.
He said: “The first match I played was against Swansea, we lost and now I have to play the 50th match. I hope we can show how we have improved because that is the main thing.
“Last year we only lost all the points against Swansea and I always want improvement of my team and players.
“I think the first match last season we were not well prepared because of the USA tour and I have explained that already more than 20 times.
“We were prepared for the second game against Swansea but it was an unlucky game for us. Swansea have a very good team this season as they did last season and they have proved it by drawing at Chelsea and winning at home to Newcastle.
"They have quality so it will be difficult to beat them but we are better prepared than last season.”
United are on a high after beating Bruges 7-1 on aggregate to reach the Champions League group stages but Van Gaal warned of any complacency and is demanding a repeat of the enterprising attacking football they showed in Belgium on Wednesday which was a sharp contrast to some of the more laboured performances in the Premier League so far
He added: “Bruges is in the past already. It is not so important any more. Now we look ahead and we see a match against Swansea. We have already had a meeting about it and a training session in relation to it. Now only Swansea is important. That is the life of a football player and a manager."
Van Gaal is happy with a Champions League draw that has placed United with PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg and has already started their preparations.
“It [the draw] could be worse and it could be better,” he said. “We have to analyse the other teams. We can look at the past but the present is more important. My scout Marcel Bout has already gone to Wolfsburg, they play tonight against Schalke and tomorrow he will travel to PSV for their game against Feyenoord. So we are busy with a lot of things.”
Van Gaal refused to discuss about the futures of out of favour goalkeepers David De Gea and Victor Valdes, who have both been linked with moves away before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.
“When we want to say anything, then we say it but not at the moment,” he said.
Adnan Januzaj (thigh) is out of the trip to Swansea and joins Phil Jones on the injured list but Van Gaal revealed he gave run outs to six squad players in a behind closed doors friendly against Ajax at United's Carrington training complex yesterday.
James Wilson, Jesse Lingaard, Antonio Valencia, Andreas Periera and Tyler Blackett all played the full 90 minutes while Marcos Rojo played for an hour. Sean Goss and Wilson scored the goals in a 2-1 win.
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