 |
| Bastian Schweinsteiger is "convinced" Louis van Gaal can bring the glory days back to Man United |
BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER has urged Manchester United fans to be patient with Louis Van Gaal because he is "convinced" the Dutchman will bring back the glory days.
World Cup winner Schweinsteiger worked under Van Gaal at Bayern Munich where, after a slow start to his spell as manager, he guided the Bavarian club to the league and cup double plus the final of the Champions League where they lost to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.
Schweinsteiger said: "I recognise similarities between Louis van Gaal here and at Bayern Munich. In Munich if you remember it took a while before the team understood exactly how we wants to play football. But in the end we won the Bundesliga title and made it to the Champions League final.
"It is not about October or November it is about May. I remember the fans were unsure about him early on at Bayern but in the end we did the double and so the fans in Munich loved him.
"I am sure Louis will bring success to United. I am convinced about that but we have to do our work and we have to improve. I am convinced it will happen.
"You have to be patient. But of course during that time you still have to win, you still have to get results and you have to score. We are in a good way. We can improve. But the team spirit here is great."
United have struggled to break down teams who have lined up with 10 men behind the ball sparking frustration among fans who have voiced their feelings with chants of "attack, attack, attack" in recent home games.
Midfielder Schweinsteiger admits United have to find better ways of breaking down opponents but says a gung-ho approach is not the only answer.
He added: "You recognise what the supporters are saying but football is not only attack. There are teams with different game styles and they also win titles. But I think especially in home matches we have to press and go forward.
"It is difficult to play against teams with the kind of defensive strategy West Brom had on Saturday, When you are playing a team who defend with 10 men it is not easy to find the gaps.
"But we created chances and that is a good sign. It was also good we didn't give many chances away. There is still room for improvement but we did improve on breaking a team down on Saturday. I think we did well offensively against West Brom.
 |
| Schweinsteiger admits United have played exciting football in the past |
"It [teams who defend in numbers] is not exclusive to England. In the Bundesliga or the Champions League it was exactly the same with Munich.
It was difficult back home as well. You have seen Bayern draw 0-0 recently against Frankfurt because Frankfurt were defending with a lot of players. It happens but you have to find solutions and this is where we can still improve to make it easier for ourselves.
"But it is just very important we win our matches at the moment - especially at home - because the League is very tight."
Dwight Yorke became the latest former United player to criticise Van Gaal’s style of play:
Yorke told 888sport.com: “You’ve got to take certain risks. It’s all well and good having a game plan where you grind teams down and have the ball so much but the game is about excitement and taking chances.
“Nobody wants to see that type of football because at the end of the day we’re in the entertainment business. United in the past have been all about being exciting.
“Right now is not what we’re looking for and it will take a little while to come back.
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus