How Louis van Gaal's reign at Manchester United compares to his tenure at other clubs
Manchester United seemed to have finally pulled the plug on Louis van Gaal’s doomed tenure at Manchester United on Monday after the press reported the imminent arrival of controversial Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho to succeed the Dutchman.
Louis van Gaal has always been a coach who divides opinions and managed to ruffle many feathers during his time at United. While there were flashes of brilliance from time to time, the Red Devils flattered to deceive under their Dutch coach.
Van Gaal’s time at United was characterized by poor performances like the 4-0 loss to second-tier club MK Dons early in his reign. Although more than £250 million were spent on transfers, the team hit a new low when the club failed to score in the first half of 11 consecutive games at the Old Trafford midway through the season.
The Dutchman came to United with a great reputation, having led Netherlands to the semi-finals of the World Cup. He has won numerous league titles and also won the Champions League with Ajax early in his career.
He failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United after boasting a track record of trophies and bows out with his reputation in tatters, although he somehow managed to win the FA Cup. We compare Louis van Gaal’s tenure at Manchester United with his record at other clubs.
#1 Ajax ( 1991-1997)
Louis van Gaal made his senior managerial debut with Ajax where he trained the “Golden Generation” of Dutch footballers. He won three consecutive Dutch Eredivisie titles with Ajax in 1994.1995, and 1996 and went unbeaten in the league and Champions League in the 1994-1995 season. That Ajax side beat Milan in 1995 to win the Champions League that season.
The 64-year-old helped usher in a new era in Dutch football with his Ajax team. The squad formed the backbone of the Netherlands national team for the next few years with players like Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank and Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Winston Bogarde, Michael Reiziger, and Edwin van der Sar in the side.
Ajax reached the finals of the Champions League again in 1996 but lost out to Juventus on penalties. Van Gaal left the club after serving out his contract till 1997. He received Dutch knighthood for his services to Netherlands football. He later had a short stint as technical director when he fell out with manager Ronald Koeman.
This stint was arguably the peak of Louis van Gaal’s career as manager. He never managed to scale the same heights since and his Manchester United career is in stark contrast to this.