Louis van Gaal was particularly officious and formal during his press conference on Friday afternoon. Dare we say he looks a bit greyer since he took the job?
But, having managed at Barcelona and Bayern Munchen he knows that a home defeat for Manchester United is tantamount to a mini crisis.
The most important thing is that he retains the backing of the fans and the players because, as he put it, a top four finish is going to be a ‘battle’.
With Southampton rejuvenated after a mini slump – which many expected to be terminal – and teams like Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool desperate to gain one of the two available Champions League berths for next season (let’s assume that Chelsea and City will take the first two), it’s looking tough for Manchester United right now.
But the next four fixtures could realistically see United take 12 points and, in response to a question about whether he felt that he had the squad to finish in the top four, Louis van Gaal said:
‘That is our goal and that I have always said’
Of course we want to be champions but then you have to win games against Southampton or Aston Villa away.
But he went on to say,
‘I think we can do it.’
It isn’t going to be easy however and Manchester United need to start another long winning run to reinstall a cushion between themselves and 5th place. It’s going to be a very interesting run in possible more exciting than the title race itself.
