An injury-ravaged United were beaten 2-1 by AFC Bournemouth on Saturday to compound a miserable seven days in which they drew 0-0 with West Ham and exited the Champions League following defeat to Wolfsburg.
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The 22-year-old had to be replaced by Andreas Pereira after just half an hour, when United had only just equalised through Marouane Fellaini after Junior Stanislas had earlier scored directly from a corner.
“Of course it’s disappointing if you lose two matches in a row in an important week, so now we have to stay there in a position to keep fighting”, he said. “That’s not normal for us because we gave a lot of attention to all the organisation but they had a few variations and they did it very well, I have to say, but still it can’t be, I believe”. But it has happened and then you know in, this kind of game, the club who scores the second goal is mostly the victor and they are also pressing the ball every time so it is also very hard to come again in your game.
Considering they’re the second-highest earning football club in the world and the most successful English club, yeah – there are some high expectations.
“We really didn’t play well in the game”, said City manager Manuel Pellegrini, who blamed the lacklustre performance on a comedown after the team finished top of its Champions League group in midweek.
While many critics have mocked the fact that United will now have to play in the much derided Europa League, Van Gaal insisted it was a big tournament that he would now try to win. “I don’t think it is because of that [injuries] we lost”.
“The support of everyone at the club is why I felt like I wanted to play as well”.
Those difficulties – and the criticism that has followed in their wake – have not been enough to dent Van Gaal’s self-confidence. The little coastal club that nearly dropped out of the country’s professional leagues six years ago beat Chelsea 1-0 away last weekend for what ranked as the biggest win in its 116-year history. You have to perform in a certain way. I said that to the players because I liked the attitude.
Van Gaal was unhappy that United conceded a goal direct from a corner and ex-United striker Joshua King hit the victor also from a corner kick.
“I work hard, my players work hard, now we are in the Europa League and we have to work hard to win that”.
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In his pre-match conference before Bournemouth game, he was asked if he doubted his ability to win trophies with United, Van Gaal said: “No. I don’t have any doubts”. “I have to say that Cameron Borthwick-Jackson did very well”.
