We Cannot Allow Leicester To Win Title-Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal has warned Leicester City that his Manchester United players will not allow them to win the Barclays Premier League title at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Claudio Ranieri’s men require three more points to secure the championship crown, but the Reds must also win with a place in the top four still up for grabs and four important matches left to play.

Speaking to reporters at his pre-match press conference at the Aon Training Complex on Friday afternoon, van Gaal remained quietly optimistic of securing UEFA Champions League qualification next season and spoke of delaying the Foxes’ coronation as Premier League champions.

“I think we have to beat Leicester because we are still in the race for the first positions, so we have to beat them,” he said. “We cannot allow that they are the champions this weekend at Old Trafford. I think they shall be the champion a week later, so we don’t spoil the party, just postpone it a little bit.

“I was the first who said that they could be champions and now a presenter [Match of the Day’s Gary Lineker] has to wear underwear when they are the champions. For me it is not a surprise; I say that many, many times. I believe in team building and the manager has done that with this team.

“They had the circumstances to play always with the same team as they did not play so many matches as the other teams in the league, so it is always possible. It is good for the Premier League and the sport of football that not always the same teams are the champion.”

At his press conference, van Gaal was also quizzed on Ranieri’s remarkable work this season and the Dutchman was full of praise for the Italian, citing their previous meetings as managers in La Liga.

“Yeah, it was never easy to beat his teams,” van Gaal told reporters. “Valencia and Barcelona is also more or less a derby so it is a difficult match. He has always organised his teams very good.”

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We Cannot Allow Leicester To Win Title-Van Gaal

Man Utd can"t afford to drop more points - Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal admits Manchester United’s title chances could be over if the team cannot end their run of eight games without a win against Swansea.

United followed a run of four straight defeats with a goalless draw against struggling Chelsea on Tuesday.

The team’s dismal run of results – which has included them being dumped out of the Champions League in the group stages – has led to widespread speculation Van Gaal’s job is in jeopardy.

Speaking at his weekly news conference on Thursday, the Dutchman admitted United must win on Saturday to maintain any realistic hope of overturning the nine-point deficit between themselves and Premier League leaders Arsenal.

“We have to get points otherwise the gap is too big and that is why we have to do what we have to do,” Van Gaal said.

“We have to work, prepare the game, perform and then evaluate the game again. That is of course much more difficult when you don’t win than when you win.

“We need to win because we want to be at the end [of the season] in the top of the league, and not the middle of the league.”

United’s goalless draw against Chelsea was their seventh of a troubled season and sixth at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal’s side are currently on pace to score just 44 Premier League goals, which would shatter the team’s previous low of 58 set in 2004/05, when they finished third.

United’s inability to turn possession into goals has been a recurring theme this season and Van Gaal knows his future hinges on getting the goals flowing at Old Trafford once again.

“We’ve had many games like that,” Van Gaal conceded. “The way we’ve played this season, we’re more or less always the dominant team. We are almost always pressing.

“Certainly at home we have played many, many matches like that but we don’t score and that is our problem. Our problem is not to dominate the game, our problem is to score.

“Goals are the most important thing.”

Certain sections of United fans have been heard chanting Jose Mourinho’s name in recent weeks and scarves with his name alongside the club crest and colours were being sold outside Old Trafford against Chelsea.

The club’s fans have been growing increasingly restless with the lack of goals and wins but Van Gaal insists he is delighted with the support he has had during this difficult period.

“I have had bad periods at all my clubs and I have to say the best fans are here at Manchester United because in such a difficult period they were applauding about the performance of the players and that’s fantastic,” Van Gaal said.

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Source: Sky Sports

 

Man Utd can"t afford to drop more points - Van Gaal