Friday, 15 August 2014

Van Gaal is a mad genius, says Scholes

14:37

By: TBMU Admin On: 14:37   In:   No comments

Van Gaal is a mad genius, says Scholes

Van Gaal is a mad genius, says Scholes

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 08:47 PM PDT

Van Gaal was named manager of United at the of the end 2013-14 campaign after David Moyes oversaw the clubs seventh place finish in his debut season at Old Trafford. The Dutchman only arrived in Manchester following the Netherlands World Cup commitments in July but the 62-year-old has already gained admirers for his bold tactics and hands-on approach in a short space of time. Van Gaal has switched to a 3-5-2 formation, which resulted in an undefeated pre-season, including wins over the Los Angeles Galaxy, Roma, Inter, Real Madrid and Liverpool on the clubs tour of the United States. The La Liga and Bundesliga-winning tactician has also been seen praising players throughout training sessions, while he is not afraid to bark out instructions if standards are not met on the pitch. And former United midfielder Scholes said he believes Van Gaal has all the right attributes to succeed at Old Trafford, where the club will host Swansea City in their Premier League opener on Saturday. From what Ive seen he looks a bit mad, the 39-year-old said. Hes a bit like a mad genius, he looks a bit crazy. Hes brought a bit of fear into the players which is no bad thing. I played for 20 years for Sir Alex Ferguson and he could be a scary man. Sometimes fear can bring performances out from you. But I have seen clips on the telly and one moment hes hugging someone for doing a great pass and the next hes going off his head. You knew where you stood with Sir Alex Ferguson straight from what youd done on the Saturday. If youd done well hed pat you on the back and if you hadnt you probably wouldnt be playing the next week. This manager has great experience with proper clubs and been successful. Hopefully he can bring a bit of that to us. Scholes has also urged defensive trio Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling to step up following the departure of captain Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, as well as left-back Patrice Evra. I still think the players they have are good enough, its whether they can get their confidence back. Jones, Evans and Smalling have all been there to win leagues, but now they really have to step up, he added. Losing the defence is a massive part. When Rio and Vidic were on song it made your job so much easier as a midfield player, because you know when it gets to your defence Rio is just going to take that ball off them. The midfield dont have that freedom anymore and maybe dont have so much confidence in the back line. When Rio and Vidic were fit and in their prime, they always played together. Its a part of the team that doesnt change too much. Its time for other players to step up.

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Scholes doubts Uniteds title challenge

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 07:10 PM PDT

Dutch manager Louis van Gaal has been tasked with returning United to the summit in 2014-15 after a forgettable season under David Moyes and confidence is high following the clubs unbeaten pre-season. United won all five games on their tour of the United States, while they edged Valencia at Old Trafford in mid-week. But having failed to add to the early arrivals of Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera, Scholes - an 11-time Premier League winner at Old Trafford - said United were lacking in key areas to challenge for the title. I think the title is between City and Chelsea, theyve both made decent signings. The next two places are between United, Liverpool and Arsenal, the 39-year-old said. United will be looking for a better season than last season, and that shouldnt be too difficult. It was a big blip last year. Disappointing. Im sure he [Van Gaal] would have liked to have signed more players. Hes not managed to do that yet. Are the players out there available? The areas they need, in midfield, is an area where I thought they might have bought a couple of players. Its not because theyre not in the Champions League [that players arent joining United]. Maybe if they were out of it for three or four years, but United is such a massive club. Being out of the Champions League will hopefully only be for one year. The chance to win the Premier League... possibly not this year if they dont make any more signings, but theyll definitely have a better year than last year. Confidence was low at the start of this season and I think this manager has brought that back. United open the season at home to Swansea City on Saturday, which is followed by fixtures against Sunderland, Burnley, QPR, Leicester City and West Ham. The first six games look favourable and if they can be near or top of the league at the end of those six then take it from there, said Scholes. I just worry that City and Chelsea have a bit too much for them.

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The Football Weekly, FREE from FourFourTwo

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 11:30 AM PDT

The app, which works on all Apple and Android devices, updates ahead of each weekend's fixtures to bring football fans content on their mobiles. With entirely separate content from the monthly magazine (also now available in abespoke-for-iPad version), theWeeklybrings interviews, analysis, reaction and previews. TheWeekly returns with its 19th issue, available now, ahead of the start of the new Premier League season and asks YOU how the final league table will look come May. FFTalso provides you with our five-point plan for Premier League survival, asks whatever happened to caring about the No.1 goalkeeper shirt, and explains why Louis van Gaal's back three will make Manchester United vulnerable - but exciting. Burnley boss Sean Dyche talks exclusively to the Weekly, revealing how his education as a young manager has cost more than a Masters degree. Plus there's also the lowdown on one of Southampton's new signings, Inter Milan loanee Saphir Taider who impressed for Algeria at the World Cup. There's also a round-up of the best quotes and things we've learned this week, whileBack of the Net reports on Pepe Reina's move to Bayern Munich. And if that's not enough to make you part with your zero pence, there's match previews for the weekend's 10 Premier League matches, plus the week's finest photos and a round-up of the 'other' football news you may have missed. TheFourFourTwo Football Weeklyis downloadable for free atGoogle Playand theApp Storeand updates every Thursday.

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Premier League Preview: Man United v Swansea

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 08:46 AM PDT

After 27 years with Alex Ferguson at the helm, the Old Trafford club dismissed successor David Moyes just 10months into his contract as they careered towards a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League last term - their lowest in the competition'shistory. Ryan Giggs saw out the season in the United hot seat on an interim basis, but the onus now falls on former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal to lead the club out of what are - by their own exalted standards - dark times. And the experiencedcoach, who led his country to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Brazil earlier this year,has brought a new sense of optimism to the 20-time English champions. "We can't wait to get going against Swansea and look to put right the wrongs from last year," midfielder Tom Cleverley told United's official website. "This club has always been renowned for bouncing back from sticky patches and that's one of the reasons it's so loved around the world." Swansea, who claimed their firstwin at Old Trafford in the FA Cup third round last season, have provided the opposition for a number of significantmoments in United's recent history. Prior to losing 4-1 in Moyes' first league game in charge of United at the Liberty Stadium 12 months ago, the Welsh club were also the opponents for Ferguson's last match at Old Trafford at the end of the 2012-13 campaign. And, with Van Gaal's Premier League bow set to dominate headlines in the build-up to the latest encounter between the clubs, Swansea manager Garry Monk is happy to deflect the attention onto his opposite number. "All the focus will be on them, which suits us fine," he said."We'll just go up there and do the best we can. "The big clubs attract the most attention -the best players in the world play for these bigger clubs. All the focus is on them and we'll just go about our jobs. "Everyone is beatable, the best teams in the world are beatable.You always have the chance and we'll be going up there believing we can win the game. "We don't fear it -we see it as a challenge." United have refreshed their squad with the acquisitions of Luke Shaw andAnder Herreraduring the close-season. But Shaw - a big-money signing from Southampton - has been sidelined for up to four weeks with a hamstring injury. Jonny Evans, Rafael da Silva, Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck all missed United's final pre-season friendly against Valencia last Tuesdayand could be injury doubts for Saturday. Michael Carrick is absent as he continues to recover from ankle surgery. Swansea, meanwhile,have experienced a sizeableturnover in personnel since the end of last season. Pablo Hernandez, Chico Flores, Ben Davies and Michel Vorm have all left the club for pastures new, while Michu has gone to Napoli on a season-long loan. Lukasz Fabianski, Bafetimbi Gomis and Jefferson Montero are all likely to make their debuts against United, and Gylfi Sigurdsson could be in line to kick-start his second stint with the club - this time in a permanent capacity. Leon Britton, Marvin Emnes and Jay Fulton are all missing for Swansea with knee injuries.

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The stars wholl shape the 2014/15 Premier League season

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 06:42 AM PDT

Jonny Evans New Manchester United chief Louis van Gaal has revealed that he intends to play a 3-5-2 formation to get the best out of his top players this season. When Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are played in their favoured positions, goals will flow. At the other end of the pitch, however,the Reds could find themselves vulnerable. The hardly unexpected departures of Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have left the club with no recognised leader at the back; ranking highest in terms of both age and experience, 26-year-old Evans will be charged with stepping up to marshal a young defence having to come to terms with an unfamiliar system – especially with Van Gaal as yet unable to add to his defensive ranks. Of United's three current options to start at centre-back –Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling –the Northern Irishmanis most familiar with the position, with Jones and Smalling often given the mixed blessing of being utility men. Long earmarked for success by Sir Alex Ferguson, Evans made the most clearances and blocked shots of the trio last season. Even if a new man comes in, Evans' ability to orchestrate this new defence could make or break Manchester United's season in which an improvement on last year is paramount. Christian Eriksen The Denmark international enjoyed a superb debut season at White Hart Lane, leading Tottenham's assists charts with eight. His seven league goals were only bettered by Emmanuel Adebayor's 11, meanwhile, cementing how integral the 22-year-old was to Spurs' season. Under Mauricio Pochettino Spurs will again aim for a top-four finish to bring Champions League football back to the Lane, and Eriksen will be essential to their chances of achieving it. The former Ajax player now has a season's experience under his belt in England, in which he orchestrated Spurs' attacking play with his impressive creativity – the Dane produced an average of 2.7 key passes per game last year, bettered only in the Premier League by Mesut Ozil (2.9) and David Silva (3.2). Diego Costa It has been generally accepted that Chelsea's pursuit of the Premier League title was undone by their lack of goals last season. Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba never produced enough to warrant a regular starting berth, and were subsequentlyall outscored by Belgian winger Eden Hazard. Understandably, Jose Mourinho prioritised a striker signing over summer, and ex-Atletico Madrid man Costa could be key to bringing the title back to Stamford Bridge this year. The Spain international was instrumental in Atletico's La Liga triumph last year, scoring 27 goals – 35% of the team's total –and trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the Pichichi goal charts. The 25-year-old is a penalty-box poacher, perhaps the finest of that kind since Ruud van Nistelrooy, having bagged 36 of his 37 league goals from within the 18-yard box over the last two seasons. That said, Costa is anything but a one-dimensional finisher. Not only do his muscular frame and determined attitude bring other players into the game, he can also score a variety of goals: of his 37 over the last two campaigns, 18 have been with his right foot, 12 via his left and seven with his head. If he continues to find the net with similar ease in England, Chelsea will be the team to beat. Remy Cabella Newcastle's capitulation in the second half of last season highlighted three things that Alan Pardew needed to deliver for the 2013/14 campaign: a replacement for Yohan Cabaye, a goalscorer and a player who could entertain the fans and give them a reason for optimism. Cabella could prove to be all three. The loss of Cabaye in January was essentially the end of Newcastle's season, with the Magpies winning onlyfour of the 19 games that the Frenchman didn't feature in. The departure of Loic Remy, meanwhile, a player who scored 14 league goals for the club, left Pardew's men shorn of their two prime goal threats. Yet the signing of Cabella addresses both of these issues. The former Montpellier man completed the second-most key passes of any Ligue 1 player last year while also being the league's joint-fourth-highest scorer – this while playing for a team battling relegation for the majority of the season. The 24-year-old isnot only key to Newcastle's fortunes on the pitch, but helping the Tynesiders win back the fans who have become well acquainted with dejection. Alexis Sanchez If asked to critique their team, many Arsenal fans would assert that, like Chelsea, they were one goalscorer short of a Premier League-winning team last season. While Olivier Giroud managed a respectable 16 league goals in 2013/14, he has often been the subject of much frustration due to his evident lack of pace and dynamism. No such criticisms can be attributed to Sanchez. The £35m signing from Barcelona netted 19 La Liga goals last year from a primarily wide position, while his ability to fashion chances was greater than both Neymar and Pedro for the Catalonians. He was directly involved in 29 league goals last season: better than any Arsenal player. The Chilean is tailor-made for the Gunners; with a propensity for short passing and moving into pockets of space, he will complement the brand of football Arsene Wenger has instilled in his team and undeniably add goals to the North Londoners' front line. Dusan Tadic After a well-publicised mass exodus of talent at St Mary's, one would be forgiven for forgetting that Southampton have actually signed a couple of players, too. Dusan Tadic was Ronald Koeman's first capture as Southamptonmanager, and the 25-year-old Serb could prove one of the gems of the summer window. Tadic was a revelation in the Eredivisie for FC Twente last year, leading the club's scoring charts with 16 goals and registering a league-high 14 assists. Brought in as a natural replacement for captain Adam Lallana, Tadic will be employed as Southampton's creative hub to ensure the goals don't dry up under Koeman's stewardship. It bodes well for the Saints that he created a mammoth 133 chances for team-mates last year –47 more than any other player in the Dutch league. The Eredivisie has a reputation for being an unpredictable barometer of talent, but if Tadic can adjust to the Premier League quickly then Southampton fans will certainly have a reason to be optimistic for the upcoming season. Yaya Toure Last season was undoubtedly Toure's best to date. The Ivorian has gradually transformed himself from defensive enforcer to midfield behemoth at Manchester City,able to assert himself anywhere on the pitch. No other Man City player was directly involved in as many goals as he was last season, with nine assists and an impressive 20 goals himself. With passing accuracy that rarely wavered below 90% last season, and an incredible 75% dribble success rate, it's easy to see why the former Barcelona man will be pivotal to any hopes Manuel Pellegrini's men have of retaining the Premier League trophy this season. While the midfielder has endured a turbulent summer taking in the death of his younger brother and his City future being called into question, he has since pledged his future to the club "for as long as possible". He might have turned 31 on his most recent birthday (forget it at your peril), but Toure is the main man at Pellegrini's disposal, capable of single-handedly winning any game. Raheem Sterling With the possible exception of Ross Barkley, no English youngster enjoyed a more successful 2013/14 than Sterling – which is why we named him our Stats Zone Young Player of the Year.The young winger was a star in Liverpool's dramatic title chase, and also proved himself to be an exciting, attacking threat on the world stage in England's World Cup campaign. With Luis Suarez trading Anfield for the Nou Camp, the responsibility of goalscoring will now fall heavier on the shoulders of Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert. In terms of replacing Suarez's ability to run at the opposition and unlock defences with dribbling, however – thus helping the strikers who need to compensate for Suarez's absence –Sterling is the Uruguayan's natural successor. The 19-year-old completed 3.73 successful dribbles and created 2.07 chances per game for Liverpool last year, while his nine goals also exemplified the strengths which catapulted Liverpool into title contention. The Merseysiders ranked highest for the number of dribbles and through balls attempted per game last season, and a similarly direct approach must be adopted to achieve anything like last season's success. Few players can claim to epitomise it like Sterling. Curtis Davies Davies had an outstanding first season for Hull last year. A rock at the heart of defence, Davies made the fourth-highest number of defensive clearances and third-highest number of interceptions in the Premier League. His fine displays were acknowledged by Tigers fans who voted him their official Player of the Year (he was our best centre-back, too), while a minority were even calling for his inclusion in England's World Cup squad. With Hull potentially juggling a Europa League campaign alongside their Premier League season, history gives a good indication that their league form is likely to suffer. But after enduring three top-flight relegations himself, Davies is familiar with a relegation battle and will do all he can to ensure the Tigers stay clear of one. Whatever the Yorkshire club are to be faced with, Davies will certainly be their key figure in a season of potential unfamiliarity. Kieran Trippier Trippier may be an unfamiliar name to some who bury their heads in Football League sand, but the young right-back has made big waves in the Championship with Burnley. The 23-year-old has previously been awarded the Clarets' Player of the Year award (2011/12), named in successive Championship PFA Team of the Year teams (2012/13, 2013/14), was part of the defence to concede the fewest goals in the second tier last season and also finished top of the assists charts with 14. A lover of a cross and a killer ball, the young defender – whoboasted a 65% dribble success rate last season–will be depended on by Sean Dyche to continue supplying Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, who both broke the 20-goal barrier last season as a result of Trippier's contributions down the right wing. Burnley are odds-on favourites to suffer immediate relegation, but if the former Manchester City youngster can transfer his Championship form into the Premier League, the Lancashire club will stand a chance of keeping their Premier League status intact.

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