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| Man United boss Louis van Gaal insists Paul Scholes' jibes about his management doesn't hurt him |
LOUIS VAN GAAL has accused Paul Scholes of putting his personal interests ahead of those of the club with his criticism of Manchester United’s style.
Former United midfielder Scholes, now a media pundit, has been scathing about the lack of creativity under Van Gaal. But the Dutchman has questioned his motives, saying: “Why he is saying something? For the benefit of the club or the benefit of himself?
“He is a legend and he has a lot of resonance, so I hear. But you have to speak with the manager or Ryan Giggs [Van Gaal’s assistant] – not this way, because he will be paid by the BBC or Sky. You have a fantastic expression for that in England, ‘Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me’.”
Old Trafford legend Scholes has blamed Van Gaal’s “risk-free” tactical system for Wayne Rooney’s struggles in front of goal, saying any striker would be tearing his hair out at the lack of service.
Outspoken Van Gaal insists United have created chances but the problem has been that Rooney and the other attacking players have not been cool enough to take them on a consistent basis.
He pointed to an example from his spell in charge of Bayern Munich when he claimed striker Mario Gomez often would only touch the ball nine or 10 times in a match but still managed a goal-a-game record.
“I train a lot of times in the third and fourth phase – that is how you help players,” he said.
“You have to cope with the pressure at the moment when you are there. It’s the same with penalties. It’s not so easy but it’s also dependent on your shape, your mental state at home, and a lot of things. That is why I talk so much about my total human being principle.
“Maybe he [Rooney] is doing too much. Doubt plays a part for a player.”
He cited Gomez’s ability to stay sharp despite his lack of involvement in a game.
“He touched the ball an average of nine times in a game – the highest was 14 – but he scored every game.
“It’s how the balls are coming to him, how he decides, how quick he is in dealing with the situation. It’s much more complicated than everyone is thinking.”
Van Gaal took only a matter of months to find a successful formula at Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern, but says the Premier League “rat race”, as he calls it, is far harder than its equivalents in Holland, Spain and Germany.
He insists United are making progress despite their embarrassing midweek Capital One Cup exit to Middlesbrough on penalties.
He also said the majority of fans are behind him despite a vociferous number accusing him of abandoning the club’s attacking heritage and making the team “boring.”
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| Van Gaal believes Wayne Rooney is trying too hard to get his goalscoring form back |
He said: “I have a more balanced squad, we are better off for points than after 10 games in the Premier League last season and we’re on course to qualify from the group stages of the Champions League.
“The stadium was full and that, in the Capital One Cup, is unbelievable. That is not normal, so they like the way we have played.”
United go to Selhurst Park today with Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew warning Wilfried Zaha he does not want to keep giving him a metaphorical kick up the backside to get the best out of him. Zaha will want to prove a point to United after failing to convince either David Moyes or Van Gaal he was good enough at Old Trafford.
But Pardew said: “This season I have left him out twice. Both times I have sat him down and spoke to him very methodically about why I was leaving him out. And I am not going to do it again.
“Next time I won’t speak to him, he’ll be out of the team because he didn’t do what was asked of him.”
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