Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golders
Former Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal has claimed Lionel Messi and Neymar are not “team players” whilst highlighting Liverpool’s James Milner as the perfect example.
The 67-year-old former Barcelona manager was speaking in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais when he made the comments. which saw him analyse Jurgen Klopp’s transformation as Liverpool boss.
When asked if football had become a sport in which team spirit prevails over individual talent compared to 20 years ago, Van Gaal said: “I don’t think so. How many Champions Leagues have Barcelona won with the player they say is the best in the world? Look at Neymar at PSG. How many Champions Leagues did he win? I like Neymar and Messi as individual footballers, not as team players. I think that in collective games there is nothing more important than a team player.
When asked who the best “team player” he saw last season was, Van Gaal said: “One of the best is James Milner. In the Champions League final, he played as a defender and a central midfielder. It’s fantastic that he can offer that at 33 years old. And the strikers? All of them play for the team. Salah, Firmino and Mane work very hard in defence because Klopp wants pressing.
“He saw the light a few months ago: he understood that pressing isn’t always the right thing to do. It depends on the conditions. His Dortmund side were more attacking than his Liverpool team, where he learnt that sometimes you have to drop back a bit, bring your lines together and counterattack.”
The Dutchman went on: “That’s good for Salah, Mane and Firmino because they are very fast and take advantage of the space in behind the opposition’s defence. Barcelona suffered from it. I think Messi should ask himself how it’s possible that he has not won the Champions League in so long.”
Van Gaal was asked if he thinks that Messi’s character was to blame for Barcelona’s failures in the Champions League and he said: “I’m not in the changing room or the Barcelona training sessions. I like Messi as an individual player. He’s the best individual player in the world because his stats are amazing. I like him! But why hasn’t he won the Champions League for five years? As the captain, he should ask himself why the team isn’t winning in Europe. They have a marvellous squad. I think Messi is also responsible for what happens at Barcelona, not just the coach.”
When asked to compare La Liga with the Premier League, Van Gaal said: “Tactically and technically La Liga is better. But the Premier League is more competitive because the pressure on the ball is higher than in Spain.”
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