Normality was restored in the most unpredictable of Premier League seasons as Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United won to kick off 2016, with two of English football’s biggest stars grabbing winners after lean spells.
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Van Gal glad Man United started 2016 with victory
He’s under a lot of pressure but you can see right from the off he’s not afraid to get at players and use his pace and tricks. Jones was on Saturday replaced with Matteo Darmian at half-time while Paddy McNair came in for Young in the second half.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted after the vital 2-1 win over Swansea it was a “risk” to start with a three-man defence.
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The Dutchman reckons the most remarkable element is that Rooney, who is only behind United’s 249-goal record scorer Sir Bobby Charlton, has reached the landmark at such a young age.
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United’s encouraging performance against Chelsea had restored a certain amount of confidence in Van Gaal, it seemed, but what followed in the opening 45 minutes was the same old drivel from the hosts. “For me it was more important for someone to score today. I hope that it is the fantastic starting point for the team, but also him”.
United ended an eight-game winless run – its longest in 26 years – as Anthony Martial put United ahead after halftime, then set up Rooney for the flicked victor off his left heel. “You always leave players out because they were less effective”. “It was not voluntary, I changed them because I need to change”. “That is what I want as a manager and also for the fans”.
“Van Gaal deserves a lot of the criticism that has come his way because they have been bland and boring'”.
“We don’t give any chances away in the first half and we played with three defenders”.
Koscielny stabbed home a flick-on from France team-mate Olivier Giroud in the 72nd minute at a rain-lashed Emirates Stadium to earn a below-par Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.
“That’s a season. A season takes eight months or something like that and not one month”, he added, referring to the poor run of form in December that preceded this result.
Martial powered home Ashley Young’s cross less than two minutes after the restart to ease the tension that had built inside Old Trafford following yet another tiresome display in the first half. After our goal, of course they were in a hurry, but then it benefits them – that I don’t understand.
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“Amazing is that you can perform the game plan like we have done in the first half and the second half in a risky style under this pressure”.
