“When the board has such confidence, the pressure is much higher than when they say it is your last game or something like that”, said van Gaal, speaking ahead of Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie away to second-tier Derby County.
Advertisement
Van Gaal dismissed claims he offered to resign after losing to Southampton on Saturday, and his team were more positive against the Championship side.
“The Premier League is important and the FA Cup also because it is the greatest cup in English history”.
Louis van Gaal declared himself pleasantly surprised at the quality of Manchester United’s performance as they eased past Derby in the FA Cup. The Dutchman suffered yet another defeat at home against Southampton earlier but it wasn’t just the loss but the way United played against the Saints that has led to the displeasure of the United faithful.
He said: “Of course I am very happy with the support of Ed Woodward and the Glazers but it gives you also more pressure”.
Asked about his goal, Blind said: “I think I passed the ball to Juan and thought I am closer to goal now, I make a move forward”.
“It’s the same philosophy, the same training sessions the past three days and I always give my players freedom”.
“I am always pleased when we win, so there is not any difference”, Van Gaal said. However, he has consistently been under the microscope at Manchester United, dealing with scrutiny from the media and fans alike.
He said: ” It is not a question of one match.
Mata made sure of progression by netting United’s third at the iPro Stadium and believes Louis van Gaal’s men – often criticised for their lack of attacking ambition this season – are moving in the right direction.
Derby head coach Paul Clement has a fully-fit squad to choose from, with new signing Marcus Olsson among those available.
United’s results over the past two months have seen them drop out of the top four after recording only two wins in their last 10 league games.
Advertisement
“These are the type of games we want to be playing in, the kind of teams we want to be facing, week in, week out and now we have a big, big game on Tuesday against Preston”.
