Mark van Bommel won the Bundesliga with the Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal, but fell out within ten months of the triumph.
Mark van Bommel has said that Louis wan Gaal will ultimately bring success to Manchester United, despite a difficult first season in charge at Old Trafford and pointing out that the manager could be very difficult to work with.
Mark Van Bommela s December 2010 row with Van Gaal at Bayern Munich came just seven months after the Dutch pair had won the Bundesliga and Cup plus also had made a Champions League final appearance.
The spat led to Van Bommel’s exit to AC Milan in 2011.
Speaking highly of the manager, Van Bommel said: a 2009 was Louisa s first year at Bayern. It was a successful year. We won the Bundesliga, the cup and were in the final of the Champions League.a
a But it was a big change for the club. We had had Jurgen Klinsmann in charge and then Van Gaal came and it was totally different. He wanted to change the whole club. It was a change of culture from the German to the Dutch. It was totally different and we had slight problems in the beginning but everything settled down then in October we were winning.”
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However, van Bommel was also quick to emphasize that the manager could be tough to work with: a In Germany we had the same problems as Manchester United.”
“It is a total 100 per cent change. Given the time he has good ideas how to play on the pitch. But he is not easy to work with. On the pitch he is good but outside it was a little bit difficult. Maybe that is the life of a coach because sometimes you have to make decisions that are not so nice.”
a He has a way and he goes straight. He has a way and it is his way. He wanted to go straight. He doesna t want to go right or to go left, only straight. Everybody knows what he wants.”
a I had a little problem with him in 2010 in December. I was the captain of the team and I had to protect my players. Maybe I was a little bit 120 per cent doing that. I wanted to help the other guys. Maybe I could have settled down and let it go. But that is the way I am. That is my character and it was his character as well.a