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@Karikamuri Shanmugan
Louis van Gaal will find life at Manchester United tough, according to Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers
Louis van Gaal is unlikely to get carried away by the fact that Manchester United touched down in England with the Guinness International Cup in their possession. The Dutchman is experienced enough to know that victories like the one over Liverpool in the final in Miami might score a few points with the supporters but are worth very little else. There are far bigger tests to come.
However, the manager he defeated at the Sun Life Stadium believes the new United boss might still be in for a rude awakening when the new Premier League season starts a week on Saturday. Brendan Rodgers warned that Van Gaal will not have experienced the type of intense competition inherent to English football during his spells in charge at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ajax, in countries where one or two clubs routinely dominate. Van Gaal has won titles at all three clubs in Spain, Germany and Holland. But Rodgers believes he will have a battle on his hands to add the Premier League to that list.
‘I think he’ll find the competition in this league will be different to any other league that he’s worked in,’ said the Liverpool boss. ‘In a lot of the other leagues, there are one or two teams and those are the teams that are expected to win.
‘This is a league where the top team plays the bottom team and on any given day you can lose.‘I think the competition will probably take him by (surprise), and that’s from foreign managers I have spoken to over the years. 'I’ve worked closely with foreign players, and that real physical competitive nature will be different to anywhere else he’s worked before.’
Liverpool certainly did their best to emphasise the point in Miami. Steven Gerrard put them ahead from the penalty spot and last season’s runners-up could have been more goals to the good before United hit back to win 3-1 with second-half strikes from Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard. It means Van Gaal won all five games on tour, albeit beating Inter Milan on penalties. When Rodgers’ comments were put to the United boss, he responded with the smile of a man who knows what to expect. ‘That’s why I’m here,’ said Van Gaal. ‘OK maybe he is right because I have to experience that, but I was also in Spain and in my first year I won three titles. In Germany I won two titles. If I win one here, we will all be happy.’ Asked the value of winning the tournament, he replied: ‘Nothing. It’s nice for the fans in the USA — also at home — that we beat Liverpool. It’s not our favourite opponent, I think, for Man United fans. We’ve given a lot of pleasure to these fans and that’s very important. ‘Of course it is better to win in pre-season than to lose. But the most important game is Swansea at home in the first game, that’s the one we have to win.’ As well as managing two top clubs in close proximity to one another, Van Gaal and Rodgers also work under American owners. Although the Northern Irishman spoke of his respect for his new rival and his belief that United will be title challengers again this season, he still believes Van Gaal’s predecessor David Moyes was let down by the Glazers during his ill-fated season in charge at Old Trafford. ‘I think there were a lot of things at Manchester United that were not seen by many,’ said Rodgers. 'David had to go in and where I felt for him is that he thought he was getting time. He signed a long-term deal and thought he had that longevity. It just shows you. You have to win games and hopefully then you get the chance. That’s where I’m very fortunate here. I’ve got brilliant owners. I’ve been clear in terms of how I’ve wanted to work and I’ve been able to work.’ Asked if United can emulate Liverpool by recovering from a seventh-place finish to challenge for the title again, Rodgers said: ‘I think it will be a totally different mindset. Domestically, for the last 20 years they’ve been champions 13 times. So they already have something in place. When I came to Liverpool, we were eighth at the time and the club was nearly going out of business, so it’s totally different. ‘The United players will be disappointed with where they finished last year, of course. With the quality they have, they will want to push on.’
- Yoddha enna cinemayil Urvashi Jagathiyodu parayunna dialogue orma varunnu, 'chumma anguchennu thottaapore, enthina Rodger ashaane, ee veeravaadhamokke'?
Originally Posted by Perumthachan
