Van Gaal Wants Killer Final Ball

Louis van Gaal has urged his Manchester United players to focus on turning the final passage of play in the team’s attacking moves into killer passes or finishes.

The Reds have conceded just once this term, against Wednesday’s opponents Club Brugge, but goals at the other end have not been as easy to come by as in previous seasons.

Van Gaal insists they will come and has praised his side’s play up until the final third, but he wants the Reds to make the most of the dangerous positions they find themselves in when United face the Belgians, following a frustrating goalless draw with Newcastle at the weekend.

“Our possession of the ball is good because of our system. We always have three options when we are playing well to play the ball,” he told MUTV. “I hope that we have more luck than in the last match though because, of course, we didn’t have that and we have to improve the last pass.

“We are getting there easily, that’s not a problem, but now we have a problem with the last pass or the finish so I hope we can show that and do well on Wednesday.”

The Reds are in pole position to secure qualification for the Champions League group stages after a 3-1 first-leg win over Brugge at Old Trafford last week. But van Gaal remains wary of the threat posed by the Belgians who defeated Panathinaikos 3-0 at home in the second leg of their tie in the last round.

“Their trainer-coach [Michel Preud'homme] can say they don’t believe they can do it but they have the belief with the fans,” reasoned the United boss. “They will be shouting for the players to give everything and they have already recorded a 3-0 win against the Greek opponents in the second leg of their last round so they are capable of doing that.

“It’s my goal [for famous European nights with United]. It’s why I am here. You never know if you can succeed but it is our aim and the goal.”