Saturday, January 24, 2015

Twitchy bum time! United boss Louis van Gaal reveals bizarre criticism of 4-4-2 formation

Louis Van Gaal launched a bizarre defence of his tactics by claiming a 4-4-2 formation gives him "a twitchy bum".

Van Gaal is not the first Manchester United manager to make a reference to his backside - Sir Alex Ferguson coined the phrase "squeaky bum time" to describe the nervy nature of a championship run-in.

Dutchman Van Gaal was responding to criticism from media pundits and United fans that his favoured 3-5-2 formation blunts the team's attacking flair.

He admitted his players are still not yet comfortable with the system six months into his reign as manager but says he still prefers to use it because it gives the team greater balance and defensive solidity.

Ahead of tonight's FA Cup tie at League Two club Cambridge he said: "I know the stats show positive results with the 4-4-2 system. We have won more playing 4-4-2, with a midfield diamond, but when you analyse the games - like West ham at home - we have twitched our a*** on the bench.

"I said to my players I was squeezing my a*** but it was the wrong expression. I have twitched my a*** on the bench because we were out of balance - and I don't like that.

"After I switched the system [to 3-5-2] we have lost only one match in the last 13 - and that was undeserved - so the discussion about which is the best system is ridiculous."

Despite improved results, Van Gaal admits his squad is still coming to terms with the change in tactics and says he being forced to experiment with different formations and players in unfamiliar positions in a bid find the right blend.

"They are still not comfortable," he added. "I would like them to feel more comfortable and it is important that they are. But we are having to do our preparation during the season because we did not have enough time in pre-season, so we are doing a lot of things during matches.

"Up to now I am pleased and we are going in the right way."

Van Gaal insists he will not be swayed by criticism from fans and media. "I cannot listen to what people are saying or writing because they are not at the training ground or in our [team] meetings," he said.

"I have to observe and analyse my players as well as the quality of our opponents and then I have to make a decision with my staff. I can't take into account 600million opinions."

He has warned his stars to expect a physical battering from Cambridge and that is why he is unlikely to give a debut to former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who has not played a competitive game for 10 months.

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