Date: May 16, 2011
Occasion: Google Zeitgesist Conference, Hertfordshire
Speaker: Stephen Hawking
“Most of us don’t worry about these questions most of the time. But almost all of us must sometimes wonder: Why are we here? Where do we come from? Traditionally, these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead,” he said. “Philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science. Particularly physics.”
12 days later, a rampant Barcelona side, built on the very foundations of a philosophy, instilled in their club by a coach more than a decade ago, would dismantle Manchester United 3-1 in the finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Now, I will not go so far as to say that Louis van Gaal doesn’t understand Physics – but his understanding of Mathematics is surely suspect? Football has definitely become a game of tactics and strategy and expected goal ratios more than ever before, but the underlying mathematics of this beautiful game remains the same; as simple as it ever was. The team which scores more goals, wins. Possession stats do not decide the winner of the game.
To achieve excellence in a sport, control is most definitely required. A gung-ho approach may reap dividends in the short run, may be for half a season – but burn-out is inevitable. This is where things get interesting now – what do you control? If you control the ball, the opposition cannot score on you. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that. It also doesn’t take another genius to realize that while defending, if you are able to control the spaces on the field with excellent positional sense, the team with the ball is going to run out of ideas, sooner than later.
Exactly what Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United are suffering from right now. While this is no excuse for the abysmal football on show from the players, it is the harsh reality of the situation. Van Gaal is set in his stubborn ways; and as a result, the players are suffering. He expects his players to stick to their well-defined roles. In Louis’ perfectionist mind, creativity and spontaneity are the end products of an attention to detail. As it is infamously said, “for perfectionists, life is an endless report card on accomplishments.” This mindset was out in full force after United’s exit from the Champions League, when van Gaal said that United have progressed this season when compared to last, as they played in Europe and played one more game in the Capital One Cup – much to the chagrin of the entire United fan base.
There is an inherent beauty in philosophy – whatever field there is, there’s a corresponding field of philosophy. Be it language, music or sport, there is a philosophy attached to it. Which naturally leads us to ask the all-important question, surely, the philosophy of philosophy must exist? Turns out it does. They call it meta-philosophy. It investigates the very nature of philosophy – and ‘philosophia’, in Ancient Greek, is about the love of wisdom.
So why does it appear that the self-proclaimed “best coach in the world”, currently finds himself facing the wrath of the majority Red Devils around the world? Ex-players and fans all seem to think that Van Gaal has lost it, and his bizarre substitutions followed by his ridiculous statements in post-match interview are definitely not winning him and his philosophy any brownie points. For all his talk of bringing United back to where they belong – number one – he certainly has not delivered in his 18 months so far. The amount of money spent in this time should prove otherwise.
Let us go back in time, to the 2013-14 season. There is a section of supporters who think that Moyes should have been given more time. Yes, the very same manager who took a team of champions and made them look like mid-table dross. Yes, he had an aging squad and wasn’t given sufficient time to bring in his own players. Yet, it comes down to mentality and man management skills, and Moyes made it abundantly clear that he possessed neither. He shot himself in the foot with the manner in which he approached pre-match press conferences and tried to coach players. It was merely a question of sooner than later.
Louis van Gaal inherited a group of players who had their self-confidence and beliefs shaken to the very core, after that atrocious season plagued with Moyesitis. Now if there is one thing which characterizes Louis van Gaal, it is the ruthlessness with which he approaches his mission. In order to implement his philosophie, he needed the right type of players. Just the right type of players. He had to get rid of the dead wood. From the squad which capitulated against MK Dons in miserable fashion last season, David De Gea is the only first team starter to remain. When 24 players depart from a club, it cannot be clearer that a major overhaul is in progress.
Van Gaal’s reluctance to drop Rooney earlier this season, and his trust in Fellaini has shaken the beliefs of the staunchest of United supporters, especially when Herrera continues to be sidelined. At a time when United’s attack rests on the shoulders of a 19 year old, it is natural to question the sanity of a man who let go of Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Danny Welbeck and loaned out James Wilson. It makes you wonder, what is going on in Louis’ mind that we cannot fathom? Or what is it that Louis’ mind cannot fathom?
However, United supporters would do well to remember one thing – when we talk about the trio of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez, and the beautiful football we played in 2007/08, we must not forget the personnel behind the scenes who made it possible. Surely, Sir Alex was not the sole mastermind. The role of Carlos Queiroz was probably the most important, for it was probably the first time that United played with such high importance given to tactics and positional play. This is evident in the fact that after Queiroz’ departure, Ferguson regressed back to the traditional 4-4-2 and its variations, which he was most comfortable with. Manchester United has never been a club built with tactics and strategy at its core. Ferguson’s brilliance and the caliber of players at the club has been instrumental in dominating the Premier League, but the lack of success in Europe has been the clearest indicator of this inherent weakness at the club.
The era of the whiskey-nosed Scot is over, and it is time for a new United to be built, from the ground up. This United has to be one which will compete in Europe for years to come, and for this to happen, juego de posicion has to be at the core of United’s playing style. United simply do not have the playing personnel at present to play beautiful, technical, aesthetic, quick football like Barcelona, Pep’s Bayern Munich, or even Arsene’s Arsenal. While we all want Pep Guardiola to take over the reins at United, can you imagine the torture he would go through watching Fellaini in a rondo?
United’s current circumstances are not as dire as they have been made out to be. Yes, the quality of football has not been the best, and we went 8 games without a win for the first time in a zillion years. We have been dropping points in games which we could have won. The safety-first approach by Van Gaal has definitely hurt us, especially in situations like the PSV game at home. A team coming to Old Trafford does not deserve the kind of respect they were shown. I’m not talking about throwing tactics out the window – I’m just talking about showing some fight, characteristic of the Red Devils.
This, is the philosophy of Van Gaal’s philosophy. Yes, he is rigid in his methods. Yes, he thinks he is always right. Or at least most of the time. One could say that a little flexibility would not have been amiss to accommodate the likes of Di Maria and Chicharito – but when have 65 year old men known to be flexible? They are as stubborn as they come, and in the case of Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal, rightly so. With the exception of Marcelo Bielsa, Louis van Gaal remains the biggest influence on modern football as we know it. It would do well for Manchester United fans to pipe down for a season (or two), as this man lays down the foundations of a team that will dominate for years to come.
“After two days of training under him, I thought, ‘Who is this idiot?’”
“After a week, I thought, ‘He’s right.’ He’ll always be in my heart, Louis van Gaal”
– Xavi (November 2015)
“He introduced a clearer focus on tactics and our modern style was born”
– Philip Lahm (October 2015)
Bonus Reading: The Van Gaal Dossier and In Search of the Zahir
