Louis van Gaal warned his Manchester United players they will have to improve if they want to reach the later stages of the Champions League, after making it clear he was not satisfied with their performance in the 2-1 defeat of Wolfsburg.
Van Gaal was alarmed by the manner in which his players gave away possession after Chris Smalling’s goal early in the second half had given them the lead. The Premier League leaders recovered from going behind to Daniel Caligiuri’s goal after four minutes, with Juan Mata equalising from the penalty spot, but Van Gaal was unhappy that his team lost their control once they went ahead.
“After that, it was not good and that is remarkable because when it comes to keeping the ball in our possession we have done that very well in the last five or six matches,” the United manager said. “We have given a lot in the first half to get back in the game and maybe it was also because of the accumulation of matches in the last weeks but I cannot understand how we can give the ball away so easily.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground and we have to improve a lot to be the top of Europe. We have beaten Wolfsburg and I am very happy about that. The players are also very happy but we have to improve and we have to know that. So I have said that to the players. That is why we are here, to improve ourselves so we win every game. Today we have won this game but it could have been done in a better way. We were suffering in the end. A lot of players are very tired because of the accumulation of matches. But I think the team spirit kept us in the match.”
Van Gaal confirmed it was his decision to make Mata the team’s designated penalty-taker ahead of Wayne Rooney, but delivered an unflattering response when it was put to him that, on the form the Spaniard showed against Wolfsburg, he was among the most creative players in Europe. “I have seen Mata play better than today,” he said. “I agree with you [that he played well] but I don’t agree with you.”
source:theguardian.com
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 