Van Gaal Wants 5th Win Over Liverpool

Louis van Gaal agrees Manchester United versus Liverpool is the biggest fixture in English football and the boss is determined to make Reds supporters happy at Anfield on Sunday.

Van Gaal has overseen four consecutive wins over the Merseysiders that began with a pre-season triumph at the beginning of his managerial reign in 2014. That led to doing the ‘double’ over Brendan Rodgers’ side last season before securing another success at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Jurgen Klopp, a former adversary in the German Bundesliga, is now in charge of Liverpool and van Gaal expects another high-voltage encounter against United’s great rivals this weekend. During his pre-match press conference at the Aon Training Complex on Friday, the Dutchman spoke about harnessing the atmosphere of the occasion but warned against the threat of losing focus amid the drama.

Asked if it is the biggest game in England, van Gaal said: “That is how the fans see it and I have felt it four times already. We have played against each other four times, also in the USA. You can see it also in the phases of the players. Last year for example Steven Gerrard came on and he was sent off within 30 seconds - that is not happening so much. We need to be aggressive but also under control and that is always difficult because the passion to play in these kinds of games is very high.

“I know that it is an important match for the fans,” van Gaal continued. “I have seen the reaction when we beat them so I know that. Mike the chef has said it to me also, with his way of saying it. I think everybody is ready to play this game, but you have to do it at the right time and in a different schedule - I think we have to play at five past two on Sunday, which is new I think. We have to show it at that time in that 90 minutes, or 95 minutes, with the resistance of Liverpool.”

Van Gaal managed against Klopp on four occasions when the pair were in charge of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga, with each earning two wins each. The latter took over at Anfield in October and his progress has interested his former friendly rival at Old Trafford.

“You can see his hand and I think that is important,” van Gaal said. “You can see a very aggressive and pressing way of playing the game. Of course, he has to learn the rhythm of the Premier League and I think he knows already the difference between the German league and the Premier League.

“He is very capable to be a manager in the Premier League because he has shown always this kind of football and I think the fans shall love it.”