12 Aug 2015 08:00:38
Hey Guys,

You've most likely already seen the automatic EDs link showing when a new article is up.

Well, I've just written a long piece (as per usual) about Van Gaal and the tactical set up at the club.

I just wanted to talk about the credibility of it all a little bit.

So, for starters I've been reading the Van Gaal tactics book called "The Coaching Philosophies of Louis Van Gaal and the Ajax Coaches"

A terrific read I may add.

I've also become a qualified coach myself now, about time! - Next stop Manchester United Manager, lol.

Most importantly, When i was in Holland watching a few Ajax games and watching Cillessen in the flesh due to some old connections and friends I have out there, I met a gentleman called Maarten Meijer who shadowed Van Gaal and wrote his biography a few years ago, anyway he then introduced me to a 'friend' of his which turned out to be Gerard van der Lem (if you don't know who he is then look him up) - Anyway, god knows why he was in Amsterdam at the time but he was.

so we're all sitting their chatting, in total there are 4 of us, my friend who I grew up with, a fan of Ajax, Van Gaal's ghost writer and this absolute legend of a coach van der Lem all sitting chatting about football, families, house prices, differences in our new living cultures (2 Spanish guys living in the UK and Holland and a Dutch guy living in Turkey - being Lem).

So we soon turned to Manchester United, Van Gaal and surprisingly they all thought he would be sacked before he wins the league, I disagreed and the conversation proceeding to talk about players, why people don't like him (turns out he can get quite personal when confronted and challenged).

eventually we turn to tactics, and on a couple of napkins and an iPad they show me some interesting things about Van Gaal and the way he trains, using this method and that method, etc.

Things I have since looked out for, and have seen in our games towards the end of last season, pre-season and against Spurs - hence why I have been such a huge supporter of Van Gaal.

So there you go, I wanted to really write an article instead of just saying oh i met this guy, he told me this. etc.

I also wrote the article because I think some people don't really understand what Van Gaal is about tactically. well now you have the chance to understand.

two final things, during my little evening with these gentlemen, I was told that Van Gaal does not like big egos, he likes his players to be modest, honest human beings and players like Bale, Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, etc. would never last at United. It was possibly one of the reasons Falcao was let go (not as modest as you think apparently).

The final point, is Van Gaal works in clubs where he gets full control, if he doesn't win the league this year the chances are things will tighten up at Old Trafford, if they do then Van Gaal probably won't last much longer - that's just a little bit from the conversation oh and apparently Turkey is horrific in the winter.

so there you go, check the article out (link below) from people who knew and worked with him.

The van gaal philosophy revealed

1.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 08:42:05
Thank you so much for your time and delightful prose - really informative and a thought-provoking read.

(So I'm guessing you think he won't sign another CB if he believes he can educate Smallibg, Jones, etc? Thing is. Are they intelligent enough to take all those tactics and processes on board? Jones still lunges after all these years and he has to abandon 3 at the back and change to 4 because the players weren't adapting. )

Do you think Pedro will fit in to what LvG wants?

2.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 08:42:50
Another brilliant article Moon, keep it up and get yourself on the managerial ladder, then when you finally take over at Manchester United you'll know who we want to sign 😉

3.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 09:06:03
Congrats on becoming a coach mate! Great article too, absolutely loved it

4.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 09:20:13
Great read mate.

As insightful a column I have read in I don't know how long. I thought I understood most of what Van Gaal is trying to do, but after reading this column it has me made me understand it even more.

Great work

5.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 09:39:14
Really enjoyed the article thanks! Did your opinion of van gaal change after speaking with them? The negativity they suggested? I think in terms of title aspirations he's a great choice of manager if he intends to step down in 2017 and retire. Whoever comes in next will be interesting but that's for another day.

6.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 09:40:25
Wonderful piece Jose, thanks for sharing and keep them coming.
On another note, do you really think Lem is a Legend of a coach? Will you put him in the same league as:
Happel, Lippi, Lattek, G. Trap, Paisley, those 2 Celtic and Rangers coaching greats, let alone Hitzfeld, Mou and Fergie. I personally wouldn't put him in the same league as Tomislav Ivic even. But then again i am no coaching expert hence the need for your input. :)

7.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 10:25:26
Best post I have ever read from this site.

8.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 10:33:53
Brilliant post moon, just need to find some time to read the article. Congrats on becoming a coach, realistically, what's the goal now? If you don't mind me asking.

9.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 11:21:55
Absolutely cracking article the problem LVG has is some of our squad do not appear tactically astute enough to play with so much thought. But reading this has opened a bit of insight into what he's trying to achieve, I personally don't think this group of players are capable of carrying out his philosophy, then you see clever players like Silva and Hazard and wonder just how good they would become under LVG.

10.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 11:32:37
Good read, Moon. Find it ironic that he doesn't like big egos in his players, though :)

11.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 11:48:07
Wallace,

Thanks for taking the time out to read it, I appreciate it.

I think Van Gaal would certainly want another central defender but I don’t think he looks at things and freaks out because we haven’t got one, much like we would all like another winger I don’t think he see’s it as 100% needed.

I think Pedro is a player who suits a possession patient based system, plays in the half spaces and understands what is needed of him roughly, is he a world-beater? Certainly not. So yes, I expect him to join in with the squad and I can see him rotating with Young and become the half zone player for the other side which Van Gaal wants.

--

Tommy,

Thank you very much, I’m hoping to really get involved with it over the next few months before eventually taking over at Manchester United and ending my career at Getafe ;).

RedAndy,

Thank you for reading it! I aim to please.

Angelred,

There is still much to learn about Van Gaal, but after reading it I hope you can see why Mata is used out wide, etc.

Mrs Doubtfire,

I wouldn’t say my opinion changed, as a person I never had an opinion so I may be more influenced in thinking he does whatever it takes to get his way, which I can understand although not agree with perhaps.

As a manager by opinion of him grew stronger, perhaps he won’t win a league title, perhaps he will, I couldn’t tell you and they were giving their opinion based on the how poor the team was looking at the time and how Van Gaal coaches or should I say the type of player he needs to coach, finding athletic players to suit the league and have the intelligence levels required is a very rare thing in the Premier League.

I think we’re all in denial, but the next manager at Manchester United is going to be Ryan Giggs.

MBD,

Thank you for your kind words,

I have heard a lot that Lem was crucial to the Ajax 1996 team and was highly thought of at Barcelona.

He’s never managed a huge team so it is hard to say, but as a coach I believe he’s certainly a legend. He came across a hugely intelligent man (I’ve met a lot of British and Spanish coaches in my time and none of them seemed to grasp the game as well as him), his career is coming to an end so I wouldn’t sit him with the likes of Lippi, Paisley, etc. on a success level but certainly on an intelligence level.

I think if Giggs got offered the Wales job tomorrow, and we appointed Van Der Lem as the right hand man to Van Gaal again then I would extremely happy with that.

It is also said that Van Der Lem is the only man who got away with questioning Van Gaal often. So I think that tells you all you need to know about the sort of man he is.

Lovely chap though.

12.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 11:49:52
Great article. Very good read.

13.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 12:07:00
A brilliant well written read which has helped me better understand van Gaal and his decision making.

I still don't agree with everything he does but at least I understand his motivations more now.

'The Coaching Philosophies of Louis Van Gaal and the Ajax Coaches' sounds like the perfect book for The Beast

14.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 12:27:22
TOT66 - That's a huge compliment, thank you very much.

Anon - I plan to move into coaching at a couple of non-league sides and see what happens. I've spent a lot of my life interested in American Football and as such I see football in the same light, step by step players, and my coaching style is very similar to American Football coaching. I over analyse everything, film training sessions, review them, etc.It's a passion of mine, so I'm hoping that the effort I put in could lead me into coaching a league side one day (I HOPE!)

Jaimej79 - I completely agree, I can count 10/11 out of 25 players that I would consider intelligent. Darmian, Smalling, Schweinsteiger, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Valencia, Depay, Rooney, Mata, Herrera & Blind.

Now consider that 4 of those are approaching or in their 30's. that's 6 or 7 players out of 25 who are capable of understanding.

However, if Van Gaal got his first choice players you would have; DDG, Coleman, Hummels, Ramos, Shaw, Gundogan, Carrick, Bale, Depay, Muller & Rooney. (Which is a very intelligent XI).

Noucamp99, Big Egos don't like Big Egos, it's an alpha male thing haha. I find it surprising that he has no issues getting personal. there is a 'rumour' that Van Gaal clashed with Di Maria and used the burglary to win the argument, from that Di Maria lost faith. I don't think or know if it's true, but I could imagine it certainly.

15.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 12:39:44
Andrew B & RedAtHeart,

Thanks guys! it's appreciated.

I actually agree with all of it, I just think he's at the wrong team haha in terms of personnel.

If Beast ever read that book, he'd still kick off about it, it was written in 2003? I believe so a lot of what you read is the expansive scoring stuff, and not the cautious approach adopted after his spell at AZ

16.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 12:40:20
Thank you Jose.

17.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 12:39:56
Brilliant piece Moon, I have shared it on another forum I read too. It was too good not to share.

18.) 12 Aug 2015
12 Aug 2015 13:45:33
Moon big thanks for the post. Greatly insightful on "The system" and the man himself. Top lunch time read.