64-year-old Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal recently joked about how he was earning a lot of money for doing nothing since the role of a manager has changed so much over the years.
Louis van Gaal has coached some of the best teams in Europe, moulding successful teams at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich as well as the Dutch National team, and he is attempting to do so now at Manchester United. His first stint as head coach came at Ajax in 1991, and he recently joked about how a manager’s job has become much easier in recent times.
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“Ia m from a time where you [the manager] did everything. Now Ia m the manager and I have a sports science department, I have a scouting department, I have a medical department, I have assistant managers, I have assistant coaches.” he said, according to the Daily Telegraph.
“I dona t do anything – nothing! I delegate. I delegate, and I earn a lot of money [Laughs].”
The Innovator And The Philosopher
Van Gaal also spoke about some new methods he introduced to coaching, like using a notepad and watching video footage.
“I am also an innovator, and I have changed a lot in terms of preparing for games. I was the first coach who was with a notebook. Now everybody is with a notebook. I was the first coach who used video.”, he said.
As for the primary question surrounding Van Gaal, regarding his philosophy, he said that though he receives both praise and criticism for his discussions on his philosophy, he feels it is not something which shows results immediately.
“It takes always a little bit of time to transfer the message. Ia m training in the brain – a lot of things in the brain – because football is not a sport of legs, it is a sport of brain, and tactics. So, that takes a lot of time. All the players have to sustain that process and thata s not easy.”
Can LVG turn United around?
The eccentric Dutch manager has been given a lot of leeway by the United management and his performance has been decent, but has not reached the heights that were expected from him.
His success at big clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich along with his reputation as a manager who gets results got him the United job, but Manchester United fans don’t seem impressed with his brand of football. His jokes and public persona might make him seem like a lovable character, but if he doesn’t get results soon, his charm might slowly wear off.