On the eve of the 170th Manchester Derby, Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal said the derby is the ‘talk of the town’, but the Dutchman refuses to get carried away by the emotion of the occasion.
Manchester United could leapfrog the noisy neighbours at the summit of the Barclays Premier League with a win at Old Trafford on Sunday, and manager Louis van Gaal believes that although the Manchester Derby is a special occasion, he cannot lose focus under such exhilarating circumstances.
Occasion not an issue for Van Gaal
a I think for the fans ita s very emotional,a Van Gaal said at his pre-match press conference. a I live in a little village and ita s the talk of the town there.
a But for me ita s not an issue because I have to work more rationally and not emotionally.”
On preparation ahead of the big derby
The Red Devils returned home from Moscow on Thursday, and have hardly had any time to prepare for such a crucial encounter. But Van Gaal insists it is not a huge inconvenience for his team.
“We have to prepare our game; we have one day less, so it is more difficult. We have to do the meetings in a shorter time. It is also more difficult for the players, but we have to do that. That is what we are doing and we hope that we can beat Manchester City.a
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United will be looking to get back to winning ways after a draw in the Champions League against CSKA Moscow. Manchester City, on the other hand, could extend their lead at the top of the table by securing three points tomorrow.